A Love United
by Audrie the Clever Girl
Summary: Fire Lord Zuko, his wife lost to him in child birth, is ruling a nation, raising a daughter, and ensuring the United Republic of Nations Project gets off the ground. Luckily he doesn't have to do it alone. Sokka, his most trusted adviser, is there to help. They soon discover that their bond is far beyond that of friends and allies. [Zukka] [Warning in A/N]
1. Chapter 1

**A Unite Love** is a project spearheaded by carmen_sandyeggo and edited by myself. I have permission to post this story on her behalf. We want you all to know that this story is rated M for several reasons. There will be slash sex, language, and potential risque situations. If any of these things bother you please know this story is not for you, and you should head back now. If, dear reader, you decided to stick around, we hope you enjoy reading this as much as we enjoyed writing it.

As a disclaimer, we do not own Avatar the Last Air Bender/Legend of Korra.

 **CHAPTER ONE**

 **Zuko**

Sokka is my best friend. Sure, we got off on a rocky start—actually, a very rocky start. But after I changed for the better, he and the rest of gang have been a part of my life. They are a part of my family. Once the war was over and Fire Lord Ozai was thrown in prison, Sokka became my right hand man in all of my political trials. I couldn't have asked for a better man to help me carve a new path for my Nation. He's sacrificed so much. Not only did he leave home, but Katara and Aang as well. He moved into the palace, has taken on every task I've given him, travels constantly, and still somehow manages to keep me level headed. Especially when Mai passed… and every day since then.

I wake up to the sun filtering through the sheer curtains around my four poster bed. I stretch my arms over my head and let out a long yawn. There is a small bundle near me, Izumi. She must have snuck into my room in the middle of the night. I kiss her forehead and let her sleep a little longer.

I step out on the balcony for my morning mediation. I definitely needed to clear my mind and prepare for the event of the coming week. The whole gang was going to be here in a few hours for political negotiations. Their stay at the palace would be jammed pack with meeting after meeting from proposals to bill signings. No leisure time. _What a shame_. As much as I want to finish the business of the United Republic of Republic City, I wanted to spend time with everyone, catching up. Our lives are busy and always changing.

Katara and Aang were bringing their kids for the trip. Their son Bumi is about Izumi's age, or maybe a year older, and their daughter Kya is just a year younger than Izumi. Katara was also pregnant. I don't see why she wanted to make the trip. She could go into labor any day. It must be difficult, raising a family while establishing peace, order, and unity throughout the world. On a flying Bison nonetheless, and it was just the two of them! Two children, being pregnant, traveling, meetings, no privacy, no baby sitter, and juggling Avatar duties by yourself is not my idea of fun.

I remember the first few months with Izumi. Sleepless nights, feedings, hourly diaper changes. Even in her toddler years- chasing her around, teaching her to walk and eat on her own, and dodging her fire bending whenever she threw a tantrum. I could barely keep up. Thankfully Uncle and Sokka really help me out with raising her. Sometimes I feel conflicted with them taking on the responsibilities of raising her, but I preferred them caring for her out of love rather than having servants raise her out of a sense of duty. I wasn't going to subject servants with no bending to a nearly inconsolable child who spat fire when she was angry. I love her to death, but Spirits she's work. Uncle had all the fun of teaching Izumi, and Sokka gave her so much attention, they never seemed to mind her temper tantrums.

I can't forget, Toph's schedule is just as demanding as the rest of ours. She's in the process of opening a Metal Bending School in Republic City, and soon to become the Chief of Police.

It's hard to believe how far we've come since the 100 Year War. Maybe…I hope, after we're done with business, we all can all take a vacation. Sokka's been talking my ear off about it for months now. Day in and out it's the same: office, courts, and diplomatic trips to other nations and their states. It's been busy, and I've neglected my time with Izumi. It's not fair to her, but luckily she'll get to spend some time with her cousins this week. I know she'll love Katara's baby bump. I can't even begin count how many times Izumi has asked me for a sibling. It breaks my heart every time. It's hard for her to not have a mother…

"Good Morning Sweetheart" I say to Izumi as I hear her footsteps.

"Good Morning Daddy…Are you done meditating?" She asks me, rubbing her eye.

I turn to her. "I am. Did you sleep well?"

She looked at the ground and hesitated for a moment. "Kinda. I had a bad dream, so I came in and slept better."

I frown and think, _a bad dream_? Kneeling down I put my hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry sweetie. Do you want to tell me about it?"

"I don't remember…" She says hesitantly. There's something she's not telling me. I don't know why she wouldn't tell me.

I look in her golden eyes, so much like her mother's, and place my hand on her cheek. "Hmm…Alright. Well, if you remember, you can tell me if you want. Right now though we should probably get ready for your Aunts' and Uncle's arrival to the palace. Bumi and Kya are coming too, and I'm sure they can't wait to run around and play with you."

A smile splits her face and she jumps in the air with excitement. "Yay! It's been forever since I've seen them. Are they going to stay long enough for my birthday?"

Izumi was turning five this year. Uncle planned the surprise birthday party for her. He invited a couple of kids from her bending class, ordered a cake, had the chef prepare a menu designed for the children, and had planned for a separate area to host all of the parents. Sokka and I had bought all of her gifts over the course of several months. We had bought gifts in ones and twos, sometimes having to sneak out while she was in class do so. This was also going to be a good opportunity to enjoy some much needed time with my daughter.

"Ahhh, I don't know. The adults are going to be pretty busy this week. We'll be lucky if they are able to stay an extra day." I rub the back of my neck, but try to look convincing. The main reason the meetings had been scheduled for this particular week was so everyone could be there for her party, but telling her that would ruin the surprise.

"Awwww…I really want them to stay for my birthday…" She frowned and slumped over a little.

I smile and give her some reassurance. "I know honey, but let's make the most of their visit. Then we'll see about them staying another day. For now, let's go get ready. They'll be here soon, and it would be rude to keep them waiting."

"Ok!" Izumi, her spirit lifted, sprints to her room to get ready.

I skip out on my morning training to get ready. I'm too excited and anxious to see them. Before heading to the shower I set out my robes on the settee. While I'm washing my hair, I hear my bathroom door slam open. Someone clomps in on heavy feet.

"Zuko!" It was none other than Sokka.

"God damn it Sokka! Do you know how to KNOCK?!" I try to cover myself as best as I can.

"Dude come on and hurry up, everyone is r- are you really trying to cover yourself up? You act like I don't know what you look like under all that soap."

"Well I like to be modest. Unlike YOU…What are you doing up so early anyway?"

"I was too excited to sleep last night so I prepped everything myself. I want the guys' stay to be perfect and as comfortable as possible"

"I'm sure that won't be a problem. Now would you get out of here!"

"Alriiight alriiight. I'm going." _Finally_! I turn back to my shower when I hear Sokka say "Nice butt by the way." I feel my face get hot and groan in embarrassment.

There is a knock at my door, immediately followed by my servant Dezrah asking to enter. I tell him to come in and ask what he needs.

"A flying bison is approaching, as well as a few Earth Kingdom carts. Avatar Aang, Master Katara and Miss Toph Beifong will be here within the next few minutes."

"Already? Hmph. I guess they're just as anxious to get here just as we are to receive them. Ok. I'll be there soon. And Dezrah, Miss Toph Beifong is to be addresses at _Chief_ Beifong."

"Yes, Fire Lord, my apologies. Sir, do you need any assistance?" Dezrah reaches for my hair.

"No. I can do this. Please see if Izumi is ready. I want her with me to greet everyone in the main yard."

Dezrah bows deeply and leaves. _Hmph, help with my hair. No one ever touches my hair, not unless I want them to._

I see Uncle holding Izumi's hand at the entry to the main yard. Sokka is fussing over a braid that's come undone. I stop and take in the scene for a moment. I have so much to be grateful for. Uncle is the closest resemblance to a father that I have ever really had, and I couldn't have had wished for better. Sokka...the way he is with Izumi, sometimes I wonder if he's her father. Not that I'm jealous of their relationship. On the contrary I welcome and encourage it. It's nice to see how she is with him. He'd be a great father. It's unfortunate that he and Suki never made it past their teenage romance, otherwise he might have had a few of his own.

Izumi is turned around and waving her arm at me. "Hurry Daddy, they're about to pull up!"

When I'm standing by them Izumi grabs my hand, looking out at our arriving company. I look over at Sokka and smile. I appreciate his love and commitment to Izumi. I feel Uncle looking at me with a suspicious gaze. "What is it Uncle?"

He pauses for a moment. "Nothing nephew," A small smile tugs at the corner of his mouth, and puts a hand on my shoulder. "I'm just admiring you and everything you have here. I'm very proud of you. That, and I'm excited for this tea that Toph has for me from Ba Sing Se."

 _Of course you are, Uncle_. The Earth Kingdom carts pull up next to the stairway leading to the palace. Appa lands just a few feet away from the carts. I make my way down the stairs, Izumi in hand, when I see Toph step out of her cart. _What the hell. She's pregnant?_

 **Sokka**

Zuko, he used to make my blood boil and I remember times when I wanted to smash his head with my trusty ol' boomerang. Actually, there are still times like that. He's always so well groomed, never a hair out of place, even when he's training or playing with Izumi. Then there I am, always managing to look like hell after a good sparring session, or after I wake up, or after I eat. He's just so perfect! Ah! But he's my best friend. He has been for a long time now. It's weird how that happens. Wanting to kill each other one day, and then in what seems like a blink of an eye I'm a Chief Advisor to the Fire Lord.

I don't regret leaving home to live in the palace. There are so many things to be seen, and so much to learn. I used to think that my village was my entire life. Living in the Fire Nation Capital has opened so many doors for me. I travel all the time, all over the world. Not that I didn't do that with Aang and Katara back in the day, but things were a little different back then. I never really got to see how beautiful the world was. I have Zuko to thank. He presented me with my current position. Although he's grateful for my counsel, I'm the one who is truly indebted to him.

For all the traveling I do though, I think the best place in the world, second only to the towering, clear-blue glaciers of the South Pole, is the Central Royal Garden. It's reserved for the Fire Lord and his close friends and family. Izumi and I play there all the time, especially in the summer. We feed turtleducks together with her uncle, General Iroh. I taught her how to swim in one of the ponds, even when the attendants shouted at me that the Crown Princess should be swimming in a clean pool not a muck filled puddle. They all need to drink some Cactus Juice and relax in my opinion. She's a little girl before she is a princess. I could spoil her till she's rotten, and it still wouldn't be enough. I love her like she's my own kid.

Her mother, Mai, died in child birth. I had never seen Zuko so out of shape. I knew he would need help. Despite his maturity, he has always been hard headed. I bullied him into letting me take a few shifts watching her and feeding her. There were plenty of servants who would have done the job well enough now that I think back on it, but she just seemed so small and fragile that we never wanted her out of the site of family. After a while the feelings of pity I had for her, the reason I said I was so willing to help with a brand new baby that did nothing but eat, poop, and sleep, turned into love.

I walked down the hall to Zuko's chambers. I had been up since before sun rise preparing for my Sister's arrival. She was pregnant again, and I needed to make sure the staff and kitchen were ready for the monster she would be. There were more pillows in her room than any one person could ever use. The kitchen needed to make sure they had enough sea weed and giant squid to make soup that Katara was no doubt going to be eating by the trough full. I feel bad for Aang sometimes. Two kids in single digits and another on the way while trying to be the Avatar and a husband to my sister. Whew! Toph was going to be showing up today too, and she had sent a messenger hawk with some particulars. Most of them I ignored. Like hell I was going to get her a servant to dress up as a flying lemur and follow her around with a bowl of fireberry fruit salad. She also asked for her room to have a view. I'm happy her sense of humor hasn't gone with her new position as Police Chief of Republic City.

Ah Republic City! It was the main reason for everyone's visit. The city was in its infancy, and there was a lot of shop talk that needed to happen to make sure it didn't crumble. Leisure was not on the schedule for the next week.

Izumi's birthday was coming up though, and it was going to be a great party. I thought back to the pile of presents I had in my closet that Zuko and I had started stock piling months ago. She was going to be so excited. I nodded absentmindedly at guards as I passed, lost in thought about how I was going to teach her how to use a boomerang and a sling.

I wasn't going to get to spend as much time with her as I normally do while I'm back from business trips. _At least she'll have Bumi and Kya to play with. They are all pretty close in age. Although I want to play with them too!_ The last time I got to see the kids Bumi had just turned three and Kya wasn't more than a floppy new born. I wish I had been more present in their lives. They were my blood, but Aang and Katara were always busy moving around. Katara a Master and Aang trying to rebuild the Air Nomad Culture from nothing. _Besides, my place is here._

I see Izumi running down the hall toward her room. She looks excited, so Zuko must have told her about the kids coming on the trip. I smile and slip behind a pillar before she notices me. At the last moment I'm going to jump out and surprise her, swoop her up, and toss her in the air. It takes longer than it should to hear her footsteps though, so I peek around the pillar. She's not there.

"That's weird." I mumble.

"What's weird Uncle Sokka?" A small voice whispers next to me.

"AHHHHH!" I fall over, arms flailing.

Izumi is squatted next to me, crying from trying not to laugh. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, you just surprised me is all."

She can't hold off her laughter anymore.

"Oh you're gonna laugh at me are you! I'll give you something to laugh about." I start tickling her sides. It should be noted that Izumi is a naturally gifted fire bender, but she is still in training and sometimes accidents happen. Usually when she's upset, or mad, or dying from a fit of giggling…I know this, but sometimes I forget. Izumi's flailing arms and legs start shooting off small sparks.

I stop tickling her when I smell something smoking.

"Uncle Sokka!" Izurmi points at the hem of my shirt.

"Ahhhh, put it out put it out!" I jump and pat the fabric trying not to burn myself. With a sigh of relief I look over at Izumi, she looks like she is about to cry real tears this time. "Hey kiddo it's okay," I smile at her. "It was my fault. Really. Come here." I open my arms for a hug and she runs and jumps into them. Setting her down I pat her head. "Now go get ready to greet everyone, I'm going to make sure your dad is ready."

She nods and speeds off down the hall again.

The guard lets me into Zuko's room, and I hear the shower going.

"ZUKO!" I shout, slamming the bathroom door open. I know it will make him mad to barge in on his privacy, but I can't help it. When he puts on his Fire Lord persona he's always so composed, and what can I say, I like to ruffle feathers.

"God damn it Sokka! Do you know how to KNOCK?!" Zuko tries to cover himself with his hands as best he can.

"Dude come on and hurry up, everyone is r- are you really trying to cover yourself up? You act like I don't know what you look like under all that soap." I laugh and wink at him, but I think he's too preoccupied with trying to cover himself up to notice.

"Well I like to be modest. Unlike YOU…What are you doing up so early anyway?" _Hey I'm modest, most of the time._

"I was too excited to sleep last night so I prepped everything myself. I want the guys' stay to be perfect and as comfortable as possible" I really was nervous for everyone to show up. I had been awake for hours thinking about all the things that needed to get done, and then unable to take it anymore I found myself awake hours before I would normally be. Like I said, I had been up before the sun.

"I'm sure that won't be a problem. Now would you get out of here!" So easy to fluster.

"Alriiight alriiight. I'm going." I walk to the bathroom door and hover there for a moment. Zuko turns back to his shower, thinking I've left. "Nice butt by the way!" I then hustle my ass out of the bathroom in case he decides to get all roar fire breath, anger, spoiled prince on me. _Haha worth it._

We are all at the Main Entrance before Zuko. Izumi and I had met there at the same time, having heard that a flying bison could be spotted in the distance. We were both excited and a little nervous. Izumi because she was going to have new play mates, ones that treated her like a normal girl and not just the Crown Princess. Me because my baby sister was pregnant and traveling.

Izumi looked like she had ran most of the way there, her braided hair had come undone and was sticking out at crazy angles.

General Iroh showed up not much later and he held Izumi's hand as I messed with her hair. She wouldn't keep still otherwise. I had chased her about trying to get her to let me fix it. "Hey I'm great with hair, look at mine!"

"Nu-uh. I don't want to!" she giggled and ran, making it worse.

I was fastening the elastic to hold her braid in place when Zuko made his appearance. Regal in Fire Lord robes, he was both elegant and powerful. Something that I always found mesmerizing.

"Hurry Daddy, they're about to pull up!" Izumi waves frantically, and he comes over to take her hand. Zuko looks at me and I see him smile. It's a smile that reaches his eyes, and I feel my cheeks warm up.

I busy myself talking to the attendants who are going to unload the bags and get everyone settled in their rooms. I want to make sure it's perfect, and for some reason I need a little bit of space from Zuko. Something about when he looks at me that way…well it makes my chest get tight and I feel like I can't get a good breath.

Toph is the first one I see, and I am about to run to give her a hug and start the usual banter but something stops me short.

"You're pregnant!?"

 **Zuko**

I must've looked pretty stupid with my jaw practically touching the ground. Could I really be seeing **Toph Beifong** with a rounded belly? _Toph is pregnant?! Who did she- why didn't she say-WHAT?!_ It was difficult to keep composed. The only thing that prevented me from overreacting and swearing was Izumi's presence.

"You're pregnant!?" Sokka sputters out, breaking me away from my thoughts. Sokka and I had the same look on our faces, and I couldn't have been more right about looking stupid.

"Daddy Daddy! You didn't tell me Auntie Toph was pregnant too!" Izumi exclaims.

"I..I didn't know either sweetheart. Come on, let's go greet your Aunt. Sokka come on. Sokka. Sokka. SOKKA! Quit staring and let's go!" I'm being pulled by Izumi and I'm pulling Sokka so we're all walking down the steps. Uncle is chuckling to himself, and I look back to see him shaking his head. Our reactions must be entertaining to him.

Izumi let go of my hand to run to Toph, giving her a gentle hug around her belly. "Auntie Toph! Me and Daddy are so happy to see you. How come you didn't tell Daddy you were having a baby? Aunt Katara is going to have her baby soon! When are you having yours? Huh, huh, huh?!" I can see Toph getting a little overwhelmed.

"Izumi, please. Give her a moment to breathe." I tell her.

"It's alright. She's a kid. Kids have a lot of questions." Toph says.

Toph's belly is perfectly round; she can't be too far behind Katara by my guess. I look from Toph's baby bump and she's already got me fixed with an annoyed expression. _Fuck it. I'm asking_. "Well…since we're on the subject. Why—"

She cuts me off with a raised hand. "Look, I know this is a huge shock for you guys, so let me lay out the basics. First off, yes you guys, I am pregnant, not fat. Second, I'm due in the early Fall. Third, the father is not in the picture. And Lastly, I didn't tell anyone. Not even my parents. So don't feel like I left you out of the loop on purpose."

Sokka and I exchange confused looks before, finally, Sokka speaks up. "What do you mean the dad isn't in the picture? And why haven't you told your parents? You kinda didn't tell anyone on purpose…what gives?"

Toph lowers her head, pinches the bridge of her nose and sighs. "Look you guys, I—ugh. I met someone, we were a thing for a while, and then we broke up. I'm pregnant with his kid and I don't want him in our lives. I'm fine. I didn't tell anyone because honestly, I've just been so busy. So…Surprise!"

Toph really isn't the type of person to get emotionally attached. I still think it would be unfortunate for her child not to grow up with a father. I see how it is on Izumi without her mother. But, Toph will do things her own way no matter what. She always has and always will.

Sokka walks to Toph and places his hand on her shoulder. "Whatever you think is best for you and your kid, we support you. We just want to make sure that you're okay, and that we don't need to go beat up some jerk. That's all. We're here for you and Little Beifong. Right Zuko?"

"Yes of course! Whatever you need, say the word and you got it." Toph smiles and pulls Sokka in for a hug. "Thanks you guys. I knew you would understand. Come in here Zuko."

"Oh uh—" A large boulder comes from behind shoves me into their open arms. They catch me and hug it out. _This is uncomfortable…_ I feel something wrap around my waist, only to find Izumi hugging the three of us. She lets go and looks up with her bright golden eyes. "Daddy? Why don't we give my old baby stuff to Auntie Toph? I don't need any of it anymore now that I'm a big girl."

 _Such a sweet child_. She really is too sweet for her own good. She definitely did not get that from me. Generosity was a specialty that came from Sokka. He really is making an impact on her life. I smile at Izumi and grab her hand.

"Izumi that's a great idea! How 'bout it Toph? You think we can ship you some stuff for Little Beifong?" Sokka says.

"Sounds good to me sparky! I haven't done much baby shopping come to think of it. I'm completely unprepared." Toph kneels down to Izumi and grabs her hand. "Thank you Izumi. You're one sweet girl. I guess your Dad isn't spoiling you rotten after all." She gives her a wink and hugs her briefly.

"Hey! I'm not too terrible of a Father, okay? And besides, I can't take all the credit."

"Yea, you're probably right. Even Sokka surprised me with how well he's raising her." She grins mischievously.

"Really Toph?! Give me a little credit would you?" Sokka exclaims.

Uncle finally makes it down to the cart and opens his arms to greet Toph. "Welcome Chief Beifong. It's been a long, long time since I've last seen you. And you're all grown up. And out" He chuckles.

Toph laughs, "and so have you!" She slaps the side of his gut, and gives Uncle a sincere hug.

When I look for Aang and Katara, who are sliding down from Appa's saddle, I reach to grab Izumi, but she isn't there. I look toward the Bison once more and see Izumi on Sokka's back, who's sprinting toward Aang and Katara. I hear them yell with excitement, arms waving in the air. Izumi jumps from Sokka's back and hurtling into Aang's chest. He catches her and falls back, laughing. Sokka grabs Katara, lifts her from the ground, and spins her around once or twice. He looks so happy to see his sister. He bends over and rubs Katara's belly. Izumi see's Bumi and Kya and bolts after them.

Toph has Uncle's arm looped with hers and shoves the other through mine, yanking me toward everyone else. "Hey Twinkletoes. It's good to see ya." Toph says to Aang. He whips his head to Toph and plasters on the biggest smile.

"TOPH! You're pregnant?! Congratulations! Who's the lucky guy?!"

"The not so lucky guy is out of the picture, and I prefer it that way. Gotta pick up my own weight ya know?"

Aang looks a little taken back but shrugs. "Sure, whatever works for you. It's so good to see you!" He tries to give her a hug, but she stops him with a raised boulder to the face. Ouch.

"Did someone say Toph was pregna—Oh, Toph! You're glowing! How much time do you have left before you're due?" Katara asks. The girls begin talking, and from the looks of it, they look like they're… _bonding?_

After a while, we find ourselves headed back to the palace. The kids are running around us in circles laughing and chasing each other. The servants unloaded trunks and bags of luggage and towed them to their designated rooms. Dezrah walks up to us and bows deeply, in respect for my guests. "Welcome to the Fire Nation Palace. Avatar Aang, Master Katara, and Chief Beifong, it is a great honor to have you here. Please, join us in the great hall for our mid-day meal."

"Yes! I'm starving!" Sokka says. "I hope you guys like the food. I've been planning for days. Katara, I made sure we imported lots of sea weed and giant squid for you. Aang, I didn't forget your vegetarian meals. I know the Chef has something special for you that I think you'll enjoy. And Toph…Well, you never were really picky before. But since you're pregnant I don't know if you want anything in particular."

Toph shook her head. "Thanks but I'm good. My diet hasn't changed much since I got knocked up." We all stand there quietly avoiding eye contact with each other. "What? Why don't we just call it how we see it and just say what it is?"

Uncle breaks the ice. "Toph? Did you bring that tea I asked you about?" Toph snaps her fingers and a timid footman sprints to her side and. He hands her a bag. Toph gives the tea to Uncle, and he wastes no time opening it to take a deep whiff from the bag. He rolls his eyes to the back of his head. We all take our seats, but he leaves us for the kitchen tea in hand.

"Thank you all for making time in your very busy schedules. I understand it must have been difficult to make it here, but I appreciate it. This week is going to be busy with the finalizations of United Republic. I hate to say that we won't be able to have much leisure time. We should still be able to enjoy each other's company when we break away for meals and when we're tending to the children. Uncle Iroh was generous enough to offer his assistance in supervising the children while we tackle our duties. Right now we're ahead of schedule, so I think it's safe to say that once we're finished with our meals, you all can get settled into your rooms before tonight's first meeting." I dislike being so formal and making business a priority with my friends, but I know if we don't get started soon, this would never get done. It would be delayed for several more months, putting us past our set goal. I hate missing deadlines.

Everyone seemed to agree on today's schedule—which is a relief. _Our first agreement. One down…so many more to go_. From the corner of my eye I notice Sokka is looking at me. I glance towards him to see what he may be thinking. He looks like he's in a slight trance. Peaceful, almost. I feel my cheeks get a little flushed before Sokka sees me staring back and looks away. Looking away myself, I join into conversation as Uncle serves everyone tea. _What are you doing Zuko?_

 **Sokka**

Before we eat lunch we all sit in one of the smaller dining rooms around a large round table, while General Iroh serves us tea. Izumi, Bumi and Kya are on the other side of the hall running around tables and chairs, having fun only like kids can. I wish that Katara and I had more of a childhood like that, but I'm glad her children will not have their youth interrupted by war. I momentarily wonder what my children would have been like if Suki and I had stayed together, but the thought doesn't stick. Izumi might be the closest thing to a daughter I'll ever have. I smile at that. I would be lucky if I could ever produce something half as adorable as she is.

I look over to Zuko, he is a few seats away and I have the perfect view of him. More and more often I catch myself studying him, he looks so confident but in a quiet way. I've always been boisterous, so how he manages to convey so much without doing anything is a puzzle. I can't help myself with puzzles, I have to solve them. I realize I've been zoning out and when my vision comes back into focus I'm looking into Zuko's sharp gaze. His face flushes slightly, and I clear my throat and look away. I'm a little embarrassed to be caught staring.

Course after course of food is brought to the table. I was right, Katara basically inhaled one bowl of soup after the other.

"This is just as good as Gran used to make!" She raves between bites. Aang looks like he's about to throw up from the smell. It's pungent, to put it nicely.

Everyone laughs together, and we catch up with one another. It's been too long, and the time we have together, to really just be us, is limited. This whole week is going to be a nightmare. I know I'm going to spend a lot more time inside around a planning table than I would like. The weather was going to be beautiful and I was going to be in a hot stuffy room trying to plan out a city with my pregnant sister, Spirits help us all, and an equally pregnant Toph.

"If you'll excuse me," Zuko stood up from the table and bowed to all of us. "I don't mean to run out, please stay as long as you like. I have to prepare some things for tonight. I hope you get settled, I'm very happy to see you all." And with a smile, one reserved for his friends and family, Zuko left them.

"I think that's probably our cue as well," Toph rubbed her belly and let out a burp. Just as unlady like as always. "So, where's this room with a view I asked for?"

I let attendants escort Toph to her room, and I walked with Aang and Katara. The children tailed behind us.

"So how have things been?" Aang tosses and arm around my shoulders. He's as tall as I am, and has been for a while, but it throws me off every time. Sometimes I still see him as that 12 year old boy we found who could only think about penguin sledding even after he had found out he had been frozen for a hundred years.

"Uh, things are good." I wasn't really sure how to answer his question. There seemed to be a deeper meaning than I was catching on to. "I get to travel a lot. I got to go to Kiyoshi once about half a year ago. They have managed to restore the town for the most part. Zuko sent me to make sure the master carpenter and architect he had employed was working out. I think he provided them with funds to rebuild as well."

Aang nodded. "I was there not too long ago. It looks even better than it did before. The Fire Lord has done a great deal for them. What happened by the way? I know it was a long time ago, but we never really got the chance to talk about it. I thought you and Suki were, well, you know…" He trailed off, giving me a nudge in the ribs.

I shoved him playfully back. "Come on man, not in front of my sister."

"Thank you!" Katara was waddling beside him. "I need to sleep before we go to the meeting tonight and I don't think I could get any shuteye after hearing about Sokka's love life." She made a gagging noise.

Unwarranted, the memory of Zuko laughing at something I did the day before comes to mind. It was a deep rich laugh that made my stomach flutter. I push the thought away. "Gee thanks Katara. At least proof of my love life isn't following me around and screaming at me all day." I look back to the kids, they are all yelling as loud as they can for no reason.

Katara and Aang both go red. I'm pretty sure Katara is red from rage and not the embarrassment I know Aang feels from me bringing up his sex life. Without warning I'm smacked in the back of the head, and the ice cold water Katara had sent to hit me runs down my back. "Cold cold cold!" I wiggle to get away. It does nothing but let the water slide further down my shirt. "Not fair!"

"What's not fair?" Izumi runs up and grabs my hand.

"You're Aunt Katara is being mean is all," I whisper to her, side eyeing Katara in mock hurt.

Izumi looks up to Katara with wide eyes, " Please don't be mean to Uncle Sokka, Aunty?"

Katara let out a long sigh, "Now that's not fair. You're using emotional warfare."

"What Emotional Warfare," Bumi yells, jumping around and pretending to be a ninja. "Is it this! HYA!" He karate chops the air.

"No it's this," Kya spins around doing the best a toddler can do at ballet.

"That's enough you guys," Katara sighs, she's exhausted.

"You two need a nap!" Aang says as sternly as he can; they both moan unhappily.

"Once you guys have had a nap you can join Izumi with General Iroh in the garden. I hear there are some just hatched turtleducklings." I say to them, "But she has to take a nap first too." Izumi nods, although more resigned to the fact that she has to take naps rather than being excited about them.

"Fiiiiine," They say in unison.

We are outside of the double door to their suite, one with an attached nursery for the kids. It's one of the best the palace has to offer and I've made sure the staff added a few personal touches. Furs from the Southern Water Tribe are draped over the bed, and on the balcony a meditation platform inspired by Air Nomad designs.

"I hope you can settle in. If you need anything, let me know." I poke my chest with my thumb. "I'll take care of whatever you need."

Katara hugs me and whispers how happy she is to see me. I return the embrace, unable to hold back a smile. "I'm glad you're here."

I walked Izumi to her room and tucked her in. "Now get some good sleep little monster, I know how you get when you're cranky."

"I'm not ever cranky," She yawns and snuggles in under her blanket.

"Sure you're not, Princess." I push her hair back and kiss her forehead. "Sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite."

As I reach for the doorknob I hear he little sleepy voice mumble something. "What's that kiddo?"

"Love you Uncle Sokka." She says again, louder.

My heart swells. "Love you too." I close the door behind me as quietly as possible, smiling like an idiot.

I'm still smiling when I knock on Toph's door. I want to make sure she likes the room and doesn't need anything. I hadn't anticipated her being pregnant when I directed the preparations of her room.

"Come in Snoozles!"

I crack open the door, "Hey don't call me that. I'm a grown man!" Toph is sitting on the floor with her legs crossed and her eyes closed. "What are you doing?"

"I'm meditating. The trip was long, and being pregnant takes its toll. I need to recenter." She gets to her feet without trouble. It apparently wasn't taking as much of a toll on her as it was on Katara.

"Well now that you're…recentered, do you need anything?"

"Now that you mention it," Her voice has taken on a curious and teasing tone, "You could tell me what's going on with you and Matches." She looked almost smug.

I choked on my own spit, and almost fell over from the shock of the question. "What?" I sputter out. "I'm not sure what you are talking about."

"Oh come on, you two were looking at each other every chance you got!"

"You can't even see!" I point at her accusingly. "How could you know if we were looking at one another? Stop teasing me. And here I was trying to make sure you were comfortable."

"Oh come off it. Sometimes being blind I see things more clearly that other people. Especially when all the floors are made out of the best marble I've ever stepped on. You'd think you'd know this by now." She definitely looked smug.

"There's nothing going on!" I threw my hands up in the air. "I've got to go get ready for tonight. If you decide you need something," I held up my hand to cut her off as she was about to repeat herself. "Something other than that, let me know." I slipped out of the room before she had a chance to tease me further. Still the same bully at heart. I guess we all haven't grown up as much as I thought.

I didn't look at Zuko that much…did I? I contemplated this on the way to my room. I mean not more than usual. Was that a lot though? We saw each other every day, what was I supposed to do? Avoid him or never look him in the eye? She was just trying to get under my skin. "Ghaaa! And it's working! That woman I swear!"

"What woman?" A deep familiar voice says close behind me.

I spin around, blushing. Zuko.

 **Zuko**

It was hard not to look at Sokka during the rest of lunch. I tried to participate in conversation as much as possible to distract myself. I notice that Uncle glancing back and forth at the two of us from the corner of his eye. _Oh for Spirits' sake..._ I mostly keep quiet and laugh along with conversations when appropriate.

I glance over at the children to make sure they're not doing anything crazy. Kya is water bending her soup while Bumi and Izumi look on in amazement. I chuckle. _What a way to play with food_.

I realize I never got around to setting up the conference room. I excuse myself and leave everyone to continue to enjoy themselves.

I walk myself to the staff breakroom to find Dezrah with a mouthful of squid noodle soup. He looks up, sees me, and almost chokes on a mouth full of noodles in panic. I raise my hand to let him know to relax. "Dezrah, please finish eating. When you're done, please meet me in the conference room with one of the chefs. That's all." He nods with acknowledgment and continues to scarf down his soup.

I hear the children yelling from down the hall, probably chasing each other. It's pleasing to have Izumi playing with other children who don't treat her a certain way because of who her father is. Izumi's able to be herself and not be embarrassed if she's not the perfect lady. We, Uncle, Sokka, and I, encourage Izumi to be herself as often as possible; to be polite and considerate but add her own character to everything she does. Still, being a princess can be stifling to a child's imagination.

Finally at the conference room, I look around and assess what needs done. It definitely needs some work. I make a few mental to mention to Dezrah. As if on cue, he walks in with one of his assistants and the head chef, Jo-Gin.

"Ah, just the people I need to see. Did you all enjoy your lunch?" They all bow and nod. "I'm glad. It was very good, Jo-Gin. Master Katara had _several_ bowls of soup. She said it was even better than her grandmother made."

"I am honored you all enjoyed the meal. I hope the Avatar enjoyed his vegetarian meal as well?" Jo-Gin asks me.

"Yes, yes. He had many compliments for his meal, thank you." I motion for Dezrah to stand next to me and start pointing around the room as I give him direction. "I need two comfortable chairs and several pillows in here. There, and there. I don't think two pregnant women would appreciate back pain on top of a late night of work. I also need some small table toys. It would be conducive for all of us to be able to release tension by keeping our hands busy with some trinkets. Do we have any available? Good. Jo-Gin, I will need a few platers of finger foods to go with tea. What else…" I tap my chin. "Oh! How could I forget? We need paper, ink, and quills enough for everyone. Lastly, send messengers to call the rest of the councilman party, I need them to be here."

Dezrah and his assistant take notes furiously. Jo-Gin bows and leaves immediately to get started on my requests. Dezrah regurgitates the details, ensuring he has everything. I bow my thanks and they hastily return the gesture, bending much lower than required.

I wander through the halls and hear Sokka out of nowhere. "Ghaaa! And it's working! That woman I swear!"

I turn the corner and see him, flustered about something. _I wonder what?_

"What woman?" I ask.

Sokka spins around and he's blushing, like he'd been doing something naughty and I'd caught him in the act. _Why is he blushing?_

"Uhhh-Uh, nothing!" Sokka sputters out.

I eye the door he might have just walked out of. It's a guest bedroom, Toph's, if I remember correctly.

"Did Toph say something to you that got under your skin?" I ask, looking him over. _He seems tense_. My eyes linger on Sokka's flushed cheeks. _Toph must have done something truly embarrassing for him to be this red._ I try my best not to smile. He looks so…hung up on whatever she did, and it's endearing. _Where did that come from, focus Zuko!_

Sokka hesitates for a second, while I wait for an answer.

"I-It's nothing. You know how Toph is. Cracking jokes and name calling like we're kids again, you know. The _usual_." He tell me. _Hmmmm…sure_.

"….Okay, if you say so." I say, to put him at ease. It seems to work.

He relaxes and gives me a curious look. "Where did you run off to after lunch?"

"Oh, I was just setting up the conference room for tonight. I arranged for comfortable chairs and pillows for the girls, food, drinks, some table toys and what not" I explain waving my hand dismissively.

"OHHHH! Why didn't _I_ think of that?!" He groans. He shuts his eyes and rubs his temples in frustration.

"Hey, I know you're the plan guy, but you have enough on your plate as it is. It's already a stressful week, no need to worry about something that's technically my job. You can't do everything for me" I tease him.

He looks at me pouting. I feel my heart slowing down and I fixate on his face. His lower lip is stuck out in a small frown, and his eyes look a little pained. His pride is probably hurt. I feel a fluttering in my stomach. I lightly clench my fists. _Am I sweating?_ I focus and smile. "Well, I was about head to the training room, I skipped my morning session. Would you like to join me?" _Say yes._

His pouty face turns into a big grin. "Yeah sure. We haven't sparred in a while. I hope you haven't lost your touch, _Fire Lord_." He taunts me playfully.

"Oh, excuse me. I don't think it's me you should be worried about. I think you should be worried about keeping up." I tease back.

"Ha! Yeah, okay. We'll see about that."

We head to the training room together, giving each other a hard time along the way. Once there we slipped off unneeded, restricting clothes to best suit our comfort. We arm ourselves. Sokka kept his prized 'space sword', as he called it, in a locked weapons cabinet. I kept a set of dual swords mounted on the wall. Our weapons of choice.

We take our stances at separate ends of the training floor.

"You ready to get your royal ass handed to you?" Sokka says with the upmost cockiness.

How cute, trying to gain the advantage. I give him a smirk. "Ladies first..." Sokka narrows his eyes, his brows pinched in irritation. I enjoy ruffling his feathers as much as he enjoys ruffling mine.

Just as expected, Sokka rushes at me will full force in his initial attack. I easily counter, and we start aiming for each other. Sokka and I dance for a while, our blades sing against each other. He's coming at me attack after attack with no signs of letting up. I'm trying to keep tempo with him, but I'm barely moving fast enough to not to get cut or catch a full blow from his sword. I'm trying to control my breathing and not give the appearance of exhaustion. _But fuck, I really am exhausted_. I have to remind myself that Sokka is a master swordsman, and not just a councilman. Not to mention it _has_ been a while since I've done this with him. Sword fighting is a perishable skill.

Sokka charges at me again, and I'm just able to dodge him. I whip around immediately and see an opening. I take the opportunity to psyche him out a bit—his form is starting to get a little sloppy. He still has his back turned, and I lightly tap his butt with my dual sword.

"Hey!" Sokka yells. He faces me and is clearly pissed. I laugh, it's too hard to contain my amusement. He's starting to get red in the face.

"I'm sorry, hahah. I just- I just- hahaha. I couldn't resist." I try to say as best I can through my laughter.

He glares at me. "You did that to slow me down because you can't keep up." He says, defending himself.

"It's not like you can best me in everything." I protest.

Sokka straightens up with his brow raised. "Oh really? Name anything and I'll show you that I can. Right here, right now."

Challenge accepted. "Okay, hand-to-hand combat."

Sokka remains still, trying not to appear hesitant. "Fine, but the winner takes the sword match and the grappling."

He tosses his sword aside and peels off his shirt. My throat tightens and I swallow hard. He's not the skinny lanky boy I first met. His chest is hard and raised muscles are peaking in his abdomen. There's sweat glistens on his tan body. A drop trails painfully slow from his collar down over his abs. I rip my gaze away and place my weapons on the floor. I take off my shirt in turn and it feels a little weird... I feel exposed for some reason, although we've been in this situation a hundred time. Something's different. I turn back to face Sokka, who's waiting for me. I catch his eyes wandering my chest, and then he meets my eyes.

"Ok. So, no firebending, no biting, no scratching, and no using..." his eyes look me up and down once more, almost involuntarily, "weapons."

 _Very serious_. "That's fine. Just don't cry when I pin you, and you tap out." I tell him.

He gets into fighting stance. I notice he's grounded, ready for anything I might swing at him. "Ready when you are, Snoozles." I immediately regret saying that. It's like a switch is flipped and he lunges at me. I'm tackled to the floor and feel his knee in my chest. _Oh really? Is that how you feel?_ I raise my leg up, swing it in front of him, and lay it on his chest, slamming him down with force. He hits the ground, hard.

I scramble to get up, but he's more agile than I am. He's up first and tackles me to the ground again, gaining advantage. I buck him off, and he flies forward. I flip over and get on his back, locking my hands across his chest. I'm thrown off as his elbow connects solidly with my face. _That fucking hurt._ My eyes sting from the impact. Still, I don't let go. Instead I find a window to put him in a rear naked choke. I wrap my arm across this neck and grab my bicep to secure the hold. It brings him to his knees before me, and I go with him tightening my hold more and more. He's struggling to break free. I can taste victory.

I catch an elbow in the ribs hard enough for me to lose grip and to fall back. Sokka slips out quickly and manages to hook his arm into mine and bring it behind me. I swing with my free arm, miss, and his grip twists my arm and pins it against my back. His knee drives into my spine and I'm the floor, face first. _Fuck. I'm pinned. Dammit it all_. This is what I get for talking all that shit.

"Give up, Fire Lord?" Sokka whispers his breath is in my ear. I feel a chill go down my spine, I don't know if it from the closeness or his deadly tone. I use all the strength I have in my core to push back. Sokka's grip tightens, and forces my arm to start bending at an unnatural angle. The pain makes me stop and I submit. I grunt and start breathing heavily, trying to squirm, but he has me like a tied up hogmonkey.

"Give up!" He yells. I grunt and hesitate, but I don't want to get injured. I give in with a pitiful nod.

He releases me and my whole body slumps. _He's never going to let me live this down_. I turn my head just enough to see him strutting around the room, arms up, showing off his muscles.

"Ohhhh yeeaah! Master Sokka defeats the hot headed Fire Lord!" He boasts. He looks at me and points. "Say I'm the best! Say it!"

I sit up, but remain on the floor. I sigh, my pride crippling. "Sokka is the best" It comes out a dull whisper.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't hear you. What was that?" Sokka teases, cupping his ear to listen better.

I look at him with disdain and speak loudly, "Sokka is the best!"

He straightens up, a smug smile on his face. "Hmph. How'd it taste saying that?"

"Like vinegar." I snap back. I glare at him, and I can tell he's satisfied. His cockiness is borderline arrogance. It irritates me, I don't like to lose, and he's rubbing me the wrong way. I get up to grab my clothes.

"What's the matter? You gonna cryyyy? Hmmm?"

I snatch my robes off the floor and glare at him. "You really are an _insufferable_ prick!" I hiss. He's taken aback, but still maintains a small smirk. I can't be a sore loser, no matter how much I hate to lose. Looking up to the ceiling I let out a deep sigh and turn my head to him to grant a proper congratulations. "You really are good though Sokka. I'm glad Izumi is training with you. She'll be unstoppable with everything she's learning."

Sokka crosses his arms and puts aside his ego fueled boasting. "Thank you, Zuko. You know I give you my all when we spar. I can't go easy on you just because you're the Fire Lord. Your enemies won't be merciful. I'm especially glad you let me train Izumi. She's going to be able to take care of herself everywhere she goes."

I pat his arm lightly and motion for us to leave. We have dinner and a meeting to attend to.

 **Sokka**

Zuko and I walk out of the sparing room rubbing sweat off our brows. It was a good session and sorely overdue. My muscles ached in the best way possible. I would have to talk him into doing this more. Next time I would try and calm myself down if I won. I try to be a good sport, but sometimes I just get so pumped I can't help myself. Maybe it doesn't really help that I spend so much time with Izumi. She is a five year old girl who hasn't quite found a way to be gracious in her failings and victories yet.

I give Zuko a firm pat on the back as we come to a split in the hallway where we will go our separate ways. "Hey I had a good time. We really need to do that more often." I groan as I stretch my arm across my chest. "There is no way I should be this sore! For sure a sign that we're getting old man."

"I think we could make that work," He cracks his neck and rolls his shoulders. "There's no way I'm letting you beat me next time." There is a cockiness in his voice I'm relieved to hear. I thought I had wounded his pride back in the training room, but it seems like it was only for a moment. Zuko has always impressed me with how much of a master he is over his emotions.

"Yeah right! I'll beat you every time. We'll settle it next time. Right now I think I need to shower. I was sweating in there like a moo-sow!" I pinch my shirt and pull it out, trying to get some air down my front.

"Next time Master Sokka," Zuko smirks at me, and I gulp. A shiver runs down my spine and I feel something like bumble flies in my stomach. He gives me a slight bow which I return and we part ways.

As I walk back to my room I can't help but replay the session over and over. At first I thought it was because I needed to analyze what I had done wrong. I had given it my all but there were a few moments where I was sure I was done for. Even after I pin point all my failings it keeps replaying on a loop. Over and over I can see Zuko strip off his shirt and toss it aside revealing creamy perfect skin. He's lean, but his chest and abs are well defined. His back and shoulders too.

I shake my head. "Dude come on. You're getting weird." I try and shake the image from my head, but it just doesn't work. I drag my feet as I push the heavy double doors open leading to my suite. It's a three room apartment in the palace. A sleeping chamber, anteroom, and a decently sized bathroom. I had been given permission to change it and decorated it as I please, and it reflects my home more than anything. Here and there though are the proofs of my travels. Knickknacks from around the world are hung on the walls, or on shelves. "Home sweet home."

I peel off my sweat soaked clothes as I walk through to the bedroom, leaving articles strewn about. The shower is steaming almost as soon as I turn it on and the hot water calls to me. I hiss as I slide under the stream. "Ahhhh," my muscles relax. I place my forearm on the tile wall and let my head rest on it as the water runs over me.

I start to lather myself, the soap is different than the kind we have back home. Hard bars of lye and whale blubber that keep you clean but aren't fragrant or gentle on the skin. The soap I use in the palace feels almost soft and has a gentle fragrance to it. I move from scrubbing my arms down to my stomach, moving the bar in slow circles. _I wonder if Zuko uses this soap too…_ I close my eyes, and I'm back to seeing our sparring match on repeat. I was on top of him at one point, before he bucked me off. His skin was so soft and the muscle underneath so firm. Something in my stomach stirs and the muscles in my groin twitch.

"I can't be thinking these sorts of things," I breathe huskily. The steam from the shower has me flushed, the perfumed soap and heat are making my head spin, but I can't stop. As I move the bar over my thighs, they aren't mine, but Zuko's. "I need to stop." I whimper futilely. I'm hard as a rock and the water flowing over my erection feels like the gentle caress of a lover. I set the soap aside after getting a generous amount of suds in my palms. I needed to be thoroughly clean after all.

I take a deep breath, and start by gently massaging my sack, rolling the balls inside. I let out a low moan and flex the muscles in my back. _Spirits this feels good._ I'm not in the shower but on the mat with Zuko, he's wrapped himself around my back, but instead of locking his arms across my chest his hands are exploring me. Gently, almost shyly caressing the plains of my chest and ridges of my abs and even lower... "Fuck." My cock twitches almost painfully at the thought. "I shouldn't." I continue to protest but my hand is moving on its own. I need to touch myself and get release or I'll go crazy. I've never been so hard up, not since I found out what masturbation was when I was a teenager.

The first stroke is nearly too much to bare and I almost lose my load, but it feels so good I don't want it to end just yet. "Too…soon." Would his hands be as soft as the rest of him? Or would they be calloused and hard like mine? He's a warrior, and no stranger to a sword. Something tells me they would be strong but almost delicate. I can tell by the way he writes, and moves his hands that there would be a finesse to it, if he were to ever touch me like this. I try to imitate the way I imagine he would do it. Long, tantalizing slow strokes. So different from the normal short powerful ones I do to get the job done. I rub my thumb lightly over the throbbing head after a particularly gratifying stroke. _Master Sokka._ Zuko and that smirk fill my head and it's too much. "Uhhnnn" The muscles in my abdomen clench and I cum into the shower. The orgasm wracks my body, and I'm panting.

Dread starts to set in. _What the fuck was that…_ It's like I had had no power to stop myself. _He's your best friend and a guy, what the actual fuck!_ I continued to berate myself as I toweled off and as I got dressed. I yelled at myself in the mirror as I pulled my hair up. Eventually it was too much. I covered my face with my hands and collapsed on the bed. "UHHHGGGG!" and then it really hit me. "FUCK!" How was I going to face him tonight?

"Sokka!" There was a knock on the door, and Toph yells my name again.

"Hold on!" I pull myself up and slap my cheeks trying to pull myself together. I go to the antechamber and open the door enough for her to come in. I offer her a seat, which she accepts, and I sit across the small tea table from her.

"I'm sorry I don't have any refreshments to offer you, I do have some sweets I got from the Earth Kingdom though! If you want some rock candy. Be careful though, it grows on you." Ha, classic. I can do this. Totally normal.

"Naw I hate that stuff. I just came by to see if you wanted to go to the meeting together." She kicks her feet up on the table and rests her hands on her round belly. "But there is something I want."

"Yeah, and what's that." I look at her feet on the table and raise an eyebrow, which had been hand crafted.

She suddenly puts her feet on the ground and looks at me purposefully, even though I know she's blind it feels like she can see into my very soul. "What's really going on between you and Zuko, and you better not tell me nothing because I can feel your heart beating a million miles a minute." She smirks at me. Earth bending. Of course.

"I really hate you sometimes."

 **Zuko**

 _Fucking Hell I'm tired. Ugh, my poor damn back._ Sokka did a number on me today. I haven't had a sparring session that intense in forever. I toss my robes into a pile and head straight to the bathroom. I decide to run myself a bath. There was no way I wanted to stand up any longer. _Note to self- install shower bench._ I throw my hair up into a high knot and slip into the hot water to relax. The heat instantly loosens my muscles and I feel the tension disappear. I lay there with my eyes closed for a moment enjoying the silence. Taking advantage of the peace and quiet, I reflect on the day.

One thing that keeps standing out is my attention toward Sokka. Why have I been so…so…fixated on him? I catch myself staring at him more and more often. Sometimes he notices me staring too! It's getting out of hand. I try to think back, _have I always been like this with him_? Nothing comes to mind. There is flood of memories I have with Sokka of the past 5 years, but they are nothing like today.

I remember we took a vacation when Izumi was a few months old. I was stressed past my limit. Nonstop meetings since Mai had been pregnant and even after her passing, seemed to be my life. Things were difficult around the palace, and I was being pulled in too many different directions at once. All I wanted to do was lock up in my bedroom and do nothing but spend time with Izumi.

Uncle had pulled me aside and suggested I take a break from everything for a little while. I didn't argue. I wanted someone to tell me what to do. I wanted someone to take care of me. So we planned a vacation to Ember Island. The beach home had been restored and updated. Sokka had something planned for every day we were there. Every day. We had enough activities to where I couldn't even think about work, or how I was really feeling, even if I wanted to. Sokka even made sure we had a nursing Oxgoat at the beach house; so we didn't run out of milk for Izumi.

We went shopping, dined out, hiked, picked flower berries, and sprawled out on the beach. Uncle managed, by some miracle, to arrange for our guards stay at the palace, so we could relax without them following our every step.

I recall looking at Sokka a lot, thinking back on it. The memory thought is mostly me, hiding behind a pair of dark glasses, watching Sokka care for Izumi. My constant smile, I remember Uncle telling me on the trip back, made him sure that I was finally relaxing and enjoying my time with my family and how happy he was to see it. I think I brushed off how often I looked at Sokka on that trip, by telling myself it was because he was with my daughter. It was true enough that I couldn't stop watching her, she was growing so fast.

Sokka….I think about the way he whispered in my ear when he had me pinned. The rise it got out of me. The tingling sensation down my back returns. _No, don't do this. It's…wrong._ I shove the thought out of my head. But Sokka's face is still there, smiling at me. The image comforts me.

I open my eyes and notice steam is no longer rising from the hot water. Or, what used to be hot water. _Damn, how long have I been in here?_ I pull myself out of the tub and rush to get ready. _Damn it damn it damn it. I'm never late._ It was not like me to be late to anything. Despite running late, I was _not_ going let myself look sloppy. After painstakingly pinning my hair and adjusting my robes I blast through my bedroom doors.

I'm speed walking through the halls trying to get to the grand dining hall as fast as I can. I see Dezrah, who seems to be relieved to see me. "Is everyone seated already? Am I really late? How long have they been waiting for me? I'm sorry, this never happens. I don't know what came over me." I blurt out.

Dezrah looks at me puzzled. "Sir, you're on time. I don't know what made you think you were running late…But yes, everyone is here and seated. The children have their own table adjacent to yours. Your guests and councilmen have not been waiting long. In fact, everyone has greeted and introduced themselves to one another."

I slump forward, resting myself on my knees, and let out a huge sigh of relief. _Thank God. Okay, you're okay. Breathe. You're the Fire Lord, compose yourself._ I pull myself together as Dezrah announces my entrance.

I walk in calm, cool, and collected. Although my mind is still frazzled, my anxiety at an all-time high; running a million miles a minute. Everyone stood, faced me, and bowed. I bow in turn and ask everyone to take their seats as I remain standing.

"Good evening everyone. I'm pleased that all those whom are a part of the United Republic Project were able to make it. I am honored and humbled by your dedication to not only me but to Avatar Aang as well. I was told that everyone has been introduced, so I will keep the introductions of my guests as short as possible. Avatar Aang will be with us all this week to keep the peace and act as a neutral negotiator. Master Katara, from the Southern Water, and Ambassador Sokka will be working alongside Nahime as representatives of the Water Nation. Chief Toph Beifong, is representing Law Enforcement of Republic City, and will brief us her plans of recruitment for street officers. With all that being said, let's enjoy our dinner!" As I sit, the food is brought out and everyone is served. I glance over to Sokka every now and then. _His jawline is just…perfect. His high cheek bones compliment his nose and make for an entrancing side profile._ Thinking like this was going to lead to dangerous thoughts. _But maybe that's a bad thing…Maybe._

Several courses are served and I wonder how any of us are going to be able to stay awake for the meeting after such a satisfying meal.

I study my guests and everyone looks sated and heavy eyed. _Great. This is just what we needed._ I stand, raising my hand for my guests to remain seated.

"I think we all enjoyed and possibly over indulged on tonight's dinner. We should put the children to bed before the meeting commences. Dezrah will escort all of you to the conference room. If any of you are inclined to smoke, there is an outdoor lobby near the conference room and the best shisha the palace can procure will be provided to you. I will meet with you all shortly. Thank you. Izumi dear, come." I reach out for my daughter's hand as she approaches. She waves at Bumi and Kya for the night, who return the wave. Aang and Katara gather their children and take them to their room as everyone else stands and departs.

Sokka catches up with Izumi and I. "Hey! Hey you guys, wait up!" He calls out. We both stop and look toward him. My chest tightens as I try not to blush, smile, or even _think_ about him. Which is hard when he's standing right in front of me.

Izumi holds her free hand out, wanting Sokka to hold onto it. He grabs ahold and the three of us continue our walk to her room. I look over at Izumi and Sokka, both who have smiles on their faces. I feel warmth spread through my chest, light, and at ease as I look at our family. _Family._ At this moment, I think I might have to accept the reason for my attentions toward Sokka. Then again…The warm feeling in my chest could be heartburn from tonight's fire hot dragon fish. _Yeah that's definitely it…_

We're all quiet until we reach her room. "Daddy, will you and Uncle Sokka tell me a story before bed?" She asks with pleading eyes.

"I don't see why not. Sokka?" I ask him.

"No not at all. Stories are my specialty!" He raves. I roll my eyes and shake my head. _Of course they are._

Izumi changes into pajamas and hops into bed. I pull the blankets over her and she shimmies down into her bed. "Now, what would you like to hear?" I ask.

She takes a moment and thinks about what she hasn't heard yet. "Well," She starts of. "I've hear how you and Uncle Sokka met already…Did you have any adventures together?" She asks. Sokka and I both look at each other, knowing what story we would be sharing together. The Boiling Rock prison break.

We start from the beginning from how I walked up to the group at the Western Air Temple and offered my services to Aang to learn fire bending. Izumi listens in awe, there excitement in her eyes. She doesn't interrupt us as we tell her the story, but I can see her burning with questions.

"And honestly, I though your mother was going to kill us all. Literally. Instead she helped us escape, and I knew she had decided to change for the better, like me." I say.

"She was pretty upset, but with her help we managed to get back to the Air Temple. My father and I were able to reunite with your Aunt Katara. I have to say, that's when I gained full trust in your dad. He had my back no matter how dangerous the trip was, and it got pretty dangerous." Sokka winks for effect. "It's honorable for a warrior to be willing to sacrifice his life."

"Wow, that's amazing!" Izumi exclaims. "Can I ask you something?" she says to the both of us.

"Yes sweetheart. I know there might be some things you don't understand. It was a different time then." I tell her.

"Ok. Uncle Sokka, what ever happened to Suki?" she asks. _Uh oh…_

"Well, you see Izumi—in life, you meet many people. Some go and some stay. Suki was one of those girls who came and went. She and I were in love, but we wanted different things from life. She was a warrior and did not want to take on 'typical womanly duties'. Whatever that means. She was always criticizing me, and after a while, she didn't like me anymore…we didn't love each other." He explains. _Really? What didn't she like about Sokka?_ I wonder.

"Criticizing?" Izumi asks with her head tilted.

"When someone points out something they don't like about you. They make sure you understand why they don't like it, and try to convince you why you should change."

Izumi looks down for a second and looks back at Sokka. "Isn't it good to change though? Like how Daddy did?"

"Well yea. But when someone tries to force you to change who you are, you don't like it. It's being someone that you're not. Does that make sense?"

Izumi thinks for another minute. "Kinda like when I have to act a certain way all the time with the fire bending students? They think I'm loud and stuff and I can't be myself around them."

"Yes! Yes exactly. But instead they tell you that you need to stay that way all the time."

"But what about Daddy? He acts a certain way too." She points out.

"Well honey, there's a difference. I _want_ to act this way when I'm around government officials. I need to be polite and professional. Some of the things I do for work, I try to do all the time. Like being polite, courteous, being calm and patient. Do you see the difference?" I ask her.

"Yea, that makes sense. One more question!" She exclaims.

"Okay, but only one more, young lady. It's bedtime." Sokka says to her wagging his finger.

She hesitates for a moment and looks at me. Her expression tells me she's about to ask a sensitive question. "Why was Mommy mad at you, before you were at the Boiling Rock?" She asks. _Ah shit…_

"Well…it's a long story. But, at that time before I joined your Uncle Sokka, I was with my sister and her friends. Your mother, she and I were in a relationship. At the time I had started to change, I knew that if I was with her my sister would see her as a traitor and she would be in trouble. So I didn't want continue our relationship. I hurt her feelings. And the worst part was, I didn't tell her. I wrote her a _letter_ , instead of telling her. She wasn't too happy about that." I explain.

"Ohh" she says, her tone stoic "…do you miss her?"

I take a moment to keep my emotions in check. "Every day. I don't think I can ever be with another woman. Your mom…she was one of a kind. She put up with me in so many ways. I don't know how anyone would stick around. You'll have to ask Sokka." _Wait—did that sound weird?_ The realization of my mistake is all over my face and Sokka sees me going down.

He laughs. "I don't know how ANYONE, deals with you, but yeah you've grown on me." He says as he nudges me with his hand.

Izumi looks at both of us with a smile. Her expression is mischievous. _Izumi, what are you thinking?_

"Okay! Thank you for the story Daddy and Uncle Sokka." She says, plopping backwards on her oversized pillow.

Sokka messes with her hair before telling her goodnight. I pat down the nest he made of her hair and kiss her forehead. "I love you sweetheart. If you need anything, I'll be in the conference room, okay?"  
"Okay Daddy. I love you." She kisses my cheek and closes her eyes.

We walk out of her room and shut the double doors behind us. I lean against the doors staring up at the ceiling. I feel anxious around Sokka at the moment—thinking back on my phrasing and implication of Sokka putting up with me like Mai did. We're both quiet for a moment. Sokka looks at me and breaks the ice.

"Look I know what you meant back there, don't feel weird." He says.

I straighten up and look at him. "Oh I-…I mean I wasn't-" I stutter.

"No look it's fine, I knew what you meant. Let's go to the meeting. I think we've kept them long enough."

We walk to the conference room, complaining how this entire week was going to include late nights, little sleep, and constant headaches.

The first meeting wasn't as bad as I had anticipated it to be. I had on display a map of the Earth Kingdom and outlines was the property that would be transformed into the United Republic. We revised the deed the Earth King had sent by messenger hawk dispatched it promptly for his approval. Voting took place on the new location of Republic City, the new nation's capital. It was decided that the United Nations Army and the White Lotus would be the temporary government, and would select senators throughout the world to run in a presidential campaign. At the end of the meeting, Sokka reviewed the schedule and topics for the following day. It decided that tomorrow at breakfast we would all reconvene, and we would get into it in earnest.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N:

Carmen_sandyeggo: Hello our dear Readers! :) I've very pleased to know you're enjoying this story as much as we are writing it. I do understand that the chapters may be tediously long. I know, writing 20+ pages is exhausting. Our original idea was to break up in smaller, multiple chapters. But realizing by doing so, it would seem dragged out. The way we want the story to be told, and what topics we write, it makes sense to have chunky chapters. With that being said, thank you again! Please enjoy reading these next few chapters. Hopefully our explicit adventures won't be too much to shy you away. Happy Reading! :)

Audrie: Hey there guys, just a heads up there will be MATURE slash content in this chapter, you have been warned.

 **Zuko**

It's near the end of the week, and we've accomplished more in a few short days than anticipated. Thank the Spirits. Bills establishing law, contracts for future government buildings, documents establishing a new currency and value, and the second World Wide Peace Treaty for United Republic have all been revised and signed. Some issues, like compensation for families living in faulty infrastructure or how to stop higher lever crime bosses, put more of a strain on the diplomatic process than others. Aang, as the Avatar, was the deciding factor in these instances. It was recognized that if the resolutions that had to be decided by the Avatar did not work as proposed, the counsel would reconvene and amend the document. There is more that goes into it than that but these meetings make me quite too tired to really explain it in further detail. Besides, I couldn't wait for the meetings to be over. Nahime has been at Sokka's side the entire time, and I've been nothing but distracted by it. She's getting more and more flirty and touchy with Sokka. It irks me to see him look so uncomfortable and try his best to get away from her. He would look at me from time to time, as if asking me to help him escape. During our breaks I would pull Sokka away to help Toph or Katara for some obviously made up reason. It wasn't much but it was the most I could do. When I would have Sokka go somewhere for a task, knowing I was giving him a break from her overbearing attentions, I wished I were with him, and that we were alone. It's difficult to keep in mind that in a few days, we will be back at our normal, greatly missed routine.

We're two days ahead of schedule, and thankfully today will be the last of it.

I wake up before sunrise to walk the garden and meditate. The tall grass by one of the pons rustles and I decide to see the new turtleducks I've heard Izumi and Sokka go on and on about. I wanted to let Izumi show them to me, but there had been no time. In nest are seven little turtleducks their mother all huddled together, the mother squawked protectively over her babies. They were so small and fluffy; their hard shells looked proportionate to the rest of their body. Satisfied to see them, I walked over to the low hanging tree on the other side of their pond to meditate. The heat of the sun warms my skin as it rises. My mind begins to clear when I feel something nudge my hand. I open one eye and look down; a turtleduckling had waddled over to see if I brought him any food. "Well good morning little one." I say, gently scratching the top its head. The turtleduck looks up at my finger and tries to nip at it. I chuckle, "no, no that's not food. Unfortunately I don't have anything to feed you."

"Well good thing I do." A woman's voice says. I turn to see Katara with several loaves of bread under her arm. She waddles over to sit down next to me. I get up and offer my hand to help her down. "Thanks." She says. She looks at the turtleduckling and clicks her tongue, calling it too her. "Here you go, there's some breakfast for you." Katara tears of several small pieces of bread for it to eat.

"You're up early." I say to Katara, who looks like she didn't get much sleep.

"I've been up for a while. Last night after the meeting, I started getting tight cramps in my stomach. For the past few hours, I've been having light contractions." She says casually.

 _Contractions?!_ "Katara! We need to take you to the infirmary." I try to get up but she grabs at my arm for me to stay.

"Zuko, thank you, but I'll let you know when I'm ready. This is my third child after all." She's so calm. I try to ease my anxiety for her and relax. She clears her throat. "So uh...I haven't really gotten a chance to ask but uh, how's Sokka doing here? He seems to be really happy with the position you gave him." She says. My anxiety comes back with full force but not for the same reason.

I study her expression. _Why did she say it like that_? "From what I see, and what he tells me, he's happy. He's found a place where he feels like his work is honored and important. He seems to enjoy the time he has with Izumi." I smile fondly, but Katara looks a little pained. It's hard to tell if it's because of what I said or from a contraction. "Was it something I said?" I ask.

She gives me a weak smile and shakes her head. "No, no I just—I miss him. I know Aang and I have our life, but I wish he was a bigger part of it. I see the way he is with Izumi, and I wish he had a more involved relationship with our kids. Not that it's his fault. With us traveling around and living a real nomad life, it makes sense. I want to make sure he's happy. Especially after he and Suki ended things…"

I look at her and nod my head slightly. I didn't know she was that concerned about Sokka. She's his sister, so of course she would be concerned, but it seemed more along the lines of guilt or maybe something else I wasn't picking up on. I grab her hand and squeeze it. "Katara, I know Sokka is your brother, you love him very much, but you're not responsible for his happiness. Everyone takes their own path in life, and after being on the same track almost your whole lives it must feel strange. Just know that if he wasn't happy he would do something to change it." I tell her. She looks down at our hands and nods her head, letting out a deep sigh.

Suddenly she clenches my hand and her face contorts into a grimace. With her other hand placed on her belly she starts inhaling long deep breathes and slowly exhaling. I freeze and stare. I don't know what to do. I wasn't exactly there for Mai; she preferred to be waited on by trained attendants, so this is new to me. Her vice grip slowly relaxes, and I can feel the tingle of blood rushing back to my fingers. She lets out a long sigh. "Are you _sure_ you don't need to go to the infirmary? We have the best healers in the entire nation."

Katara only smiles. "I'll be fine. I'll know when it's time." She lets go of my hand completely and attempts to get up. Jumping to my feet I offer her help, which I can tell she begrudgingly, accepts, but she thanks me none the less. We walk out of the garden together. "Don't tell Aang about this. He gets so worked up, and his anxiety gets the better of him."

"Okay…" I promise her, hesitantly. Something about the pact makes me feel uneasy, and I'm not sure it's the right thing to do.

We hear Aang trying to control his early bird children as we walk up to their bedroom door. She gives me a look that says "Hey, what can you do about it? Kids are kids," and shrugs. As soon as Katara walks in though the noise stops completely.

Izumi is still sleeping when I tip toe into her room. I walk to the side of her bed and carefully sit down and brush away the hair that is covering half of her face. I chuckle to myself, seeing it flop back, some of it stuck to the corner of her open, snoring mouth. She starts to stir and open her eyes.

"Hi Daddy." She says with a sleepy smile.

"Good Morning sweetheart. Did you sleep well? You were snoring like a Walruswhale." I tease.

"I was NOT!" She exclaims, shooting out of her bed and trying to defend herself.

I snatch her up and spin her around. She's laughing and giggling, begging for me to stop. I set her down on the bed and lay next to her. "I love you very much."

"I love you too Daddy. You wanna know who else I love?" She asks, sitting up excitedly.

"Lay it on me."

"I love you. I love Mommy. I love Great Uncle Iroh. I love Uncle Aang and Aunt Katara. I love Bumi and Kya and their brother or sister. I love Auntie Toph. I love her baby girl or boy. And most of all, I love Uncle Sokka!" she throws her arms up and falls back onto the bed, rolling to face me with a grin.

I smile back. "Why do you love Uncle Sokka the most of all?"

"Because he makes you happy!"

My own child has noticed this before it ever crossed my mind. "What makes you think he makes me happy Izumi?"

"I dunno. Auntie Toph seems to think so too!" _Toph?_ Suddenly I realize why Sokka was blushing when I ran into him the other day.

"You're something else for a 5 year old." I tell her.

"Is that a good thing?" She questions.

"Yes. But at the same time it's scary." I massage my temples.

"How come?"

"Probably because I don't think I was as observant as you when I was your age. You might be smarter than me one day."

"Oh. Okay! Daddy, I'm gonna get dressed so I can get breakfast with Bumi and Kya!" She jumps off the bed and heads to her bathroom, like it was old news that she would outsmart me eventually.

I leave her to get ready for breakfast and decide to pay Toph a visit. I don't get the chance to knock before I hear her yelling for me to come in. Toph is dressing when I walk in and I immediately raise my hand to cover my eyes. "Ugh! Toph! Why'd you let me in?"

"Relax hot head. It's not like you don't know the female anatomy." She says coolly, ignoring my obvious irritation. "You can look now sissy pants."

I lower my hand hesitantly, expecting to see her still in a state of undress, but Toph is sitting at a table with her feet propped up, stirring a cup of tea, and fully clothed. I let out a sigh of relief and walk over, asking to join her. She nods and takes a long sip. "Toph, I need to ask you something."

"Oh? About what?" Her voice peaks with mock curiosity. She smirks and takes another sip of tea.

"What the hell did you say to Sokka the other day? On top of that what have you been saying to my daughter? She seems to think that he Uncle Sokka makes me the happiest person in the whole wide world, and I have a feeling you've been putting the notion in her head."

Toph slams her feet on the floor and it quakes softly. She puts her cup down with much more care. "Well before I answer that, I'm going to ask YOU something, Zuko." She leans forward with her hands rested on top her knees. I freeze, and feel a shiver run down my spine. She raises her eyebrow and the smirk is on her lips again. "What is going on with you and Sokka? Remember, I'll know if you're lying."

I take a deep breath. "Nothing is going on. I mean…Nothing has happened."

Toph leans back and crosses her arms across her chest. "So, what _feelings_ do you have for Sokka? I can tell you _want_ something to happen."

"I don't know..." I run my hand through my hair, in frustration. Why can't I sort out my own feelings? "All I know is that lately I've felt...different around him. I look at him more and more, and most of the time I don't realize I'm doing it till after the fact. My body reacts to his presence involuntarily."

Toph strokes her chin and chuckles. "You two are blinder than me, you know that?"

"What do you mean?"

"There is obviously a mutual attraction between you two, but both of you are too stupid to say anything."

"What?" I sound almost giddy and hope she will say it again. _Mutual attraction…_

"I essentially told him the same thing," She waves her hand dismissively, not sharing in my excitement. "He refused to answer. He must have been embarrassed or something."

 _Embarrassed? About having feelings for a man?_ _Was it uncommon where he was from?_

"Well that explains him, but I still want to know why my daughter thinks that Sokka makes me so happy."

"What makes you think I have anything to do with what your daughter does or doesn't think? She seems like a pretty smart girl." Her feet are back up on the table, arms crossed behind her head.

"Because she said you think Sokka makes me happy too, Toph. Now, tell me why she would think that."

Toph, with an impish grin, replies. "I may have mentioned to General Iroh that you two argue like a married couple. She overheard, telling me that you two are _friends_. So I explained to her that everyone has someone who makes them happy, happier than any other person in the world could make them."

I feel my jaw clenching. I don't even know what exactly I'm doing with Sokka, and here she is putting ideas in my daughters head. It's not frowned upon for two men to be together in the Fire Nation. It's rather common, but that's not my concern. If she expected Sokka and I to live happily ever after, and that didn't happen, it would break her heart. The one thing I value over anything else in the world is Izumi and her happiness.

"Oh relax matches! She's innocent. If anything you should be mad at yourself for not dealing with this head on." She says.

"Whatever." I grumble, stand up, and try to not storm out of the room.

I hear Toph sigh and say something about me being sensitive. I stop and turn to say something insulting, but the words get stuck in my throat. Instead I turn around and continue out of the room, slamming the doors behind me.

I'm walking through the halls replaying my visit with Toph over and over again. _Maybe I should talk to Sokka._ I grunt and shake my head. _How would I even start that?_ "So Sokka…I think I like you. Like you like you." _What am I, sixteen again?_ I burst into my room and get ready for the meeting, deciding I'm going to binge off the finger food in the conference room. Food should help me not to think about Sokka the entire time.

Aang, Katara, Toph, and Sokka are the only people there when I arrive, and they are already seated. I walk past them, over to the snack table, and start stuffing my face.

"Hey there buddy, we missed you at breakfast. Are you alright?" I look over to find Aang standing next to me. I swallow my food hard and clear my throat. "I'm fine. I got held up this morning is all."

"Hey, no worries. You're the busy Fire Lord after all." He looks a little nervous, like he wants to say something, and I raise my eyebrow in question. "Hey uh…I have something to ask you. It's about Sokka."

 _I swear to fuck. If this is about our 'relationship', I'm going to lose my mind._ "What about him?" I ask, drinking a tall glass of ginger berry water.

"Well, I was wondering if you really needed Sokka to be here with you. I figure with Republic City getting on its feet so soon, the government officials are going to need as many ambassadors as possible. Sokka has come a long way in the past several years, and I think he'd do a great job there."

I have a mouth full of food and pause for a second. _Sokka go to Republic City?_ I really don't know what to think. It's a great opportunity for him, but...no buts, I have to put my selfishness aside. I swallow my food and straighten up. "I think that would be a wonderful opportunity for Sokka. He will surely be missed. It's up to Sokka to decide if he goes, and I will support him in whatever he chooses."

"Great! I'll bring it up today! Thanks Zuko." Aang walks away. I return back to the table and keep eating.

Sokka walks up and puts his hand on my shoulder. "What was that about? And geez! Slow down! We won't have any food left if you keep shoveling it down like that. That's what happens when you skip out on breakfast."

I can't catch a break. I cover my mouth and attempt to speak. "Nng 'nted to know 'hy I 'ipped brea'fist."  
Sokka laughs. I think he understood me.

"Okay. Well, whenever you're done stuffing your face, we're ready. I managed to grab a seat between you and Katara. Finally get away from that Nahime chick. Don't get me wrong, she's nice and pretty and all. But she's practically throwing herself at me and it's a little creepy."

I roll my eyes and nod in agreement. _Slut._ I take a final gulp of my drink to wash everything down before returning to my seat and addressing everyone. The room is now full, everyone seated and waiting.

"Good Morning everyone. Sorry I kept you. As we all know, today is the last day of this hectic week. Today we'll be sending signed copies of our bill proposals and drafts to the Earth King via Naval ships. After they are dispatched, councilmen, you are dismissed and free to go home." I look over at Aang and Katara and give them a small smile. "Right now though I would like to present the Avatar and his family with a gift." Katara winces and stiffens. _Contractions?_ Seeing her relax I move on with my speech. "Avatar Aang, Master Katara, in front of Republic City, there is an ancient Air Nomad Island. It was deserted long before the war began. I have made arrangements to build you a home. It will be named Air Temple Island of the United Republic. It is now officially a new Air Temple dedicated to Avatar Aang and his future Nomads. If you are going to be living in the city it should be in a place you can truly call home."

Aang and Katara look at each other with large, face splitting smiles. Aang stands up and bows. I return the gesture and look at Katara.

"Fire Lord I—Ahh!" She wraps and arm around her stomach and her free hand white knuckle grips the table. Sokka and Aang are by her side immediately. I call for the guards and instruct them to send healers our way. I walk over and offer any assistance. Katara goes through several breathing exercises with Aang, who's keeping her calm, distracting her from the pain.

"I'm going to help General Iroh keep the children busy. Bumi and Kya don't need to see their mother in pain." Toph says, her police chief no nonsense persona in place. She dismissed the rest of the room as she leaves.

The healers come in with a wheelchair for Katara. Once Aang and Sokka have helped her into the seat they whisk her away to the infirmary.

"I'm going to grab a few things from our room and bring to Katara for her labor. I'll see you guys around." Aang says with a tight smile, as he rushes out of the conference room. He's trying to keep busy and not think about the pain his wife is in, pain he knows he can't help with or prevent.

"It was a pleasure working beside you Ambassador Sokka. I hope I will see you soon in Republic City." Nahime says to Sokka, she's lingered behind even after Toph dismissed them. _Great, she's ruined the surprise._

Sokka looks at her in confusion. "Uhhh, yeah. Sure. It was nice to meet you. Now, if you will excuse me, I need to make sure my sister is doing alright." He glances at me and leaves abruptly.

Nahime turns her attention towards me. "You and Ambassador Sokka have quite the friendship." She says. This catches me off guard a little. "Uh yea…Our friendship wasn't always like this."

"I've heard the stories of how you befriended the Avatar and his friends. It's wonderful that you decided you wanted to assist the Avatar in world peace. Ambassador Sokka has bright ideas for our future. He's quite brilliant. I look forward to him showing all of Republic City his ideas."

 _Oh shut up._ "Yes he is. Thank you for attending this conference, Nahime. The Water Nation has done a great deal in creating Republic City; it has been an honor to work with you. Until next time…" I bow to her, implying my good bye. She returns with a lower bow and walks away.

There is a commotion going on at the infirmary. I hear Katara speaking loudly in an annoyed tone. "Sokka, thank you but I _REALLY_ don't need you see me give birth. Now please GO! This room is crowded enough as it is!"

Sokka walks out of the infirmary, rolling his eyes and shaking his head. He sees me and gives me a small smile. "Hey."

"Hey. Is Katara alright?" I look over at the closed doors, and I can still hear her bossing around the healers and attendants.

"Yea…she's just irritated. I offer my assistance and this is how she treats me? Whatever, I don't think she needs too much of my help anyway. I'm glad today was the last of all the political stuff though; Toph sort of kicked everyone out. You think they've all gone home?"

"Almost, a few might stay behind for Izumi's birthday, but most will return to their families. Nahime though…she seems to have a political crush on you. She had a lot of praise for you once you left us."

"Ugh. She's annoying. Do you know what she was talking about when she said she was looking forward to working with me at Republic City? I don't remember that discussion at all. I know some of those meetings were boring, but I don't remember zoning out that hard?"

"Remember earlier you asked what Aang wanted…well how do I say this, I think he wanted to ask you himself?"

"Ask me what?"

"Well, he's supposed to be asking you at some point, but he wanted to know how interested you'd be in taking a position in Republic City."

Sokka looked amazed. He took a few moments to let the news sink in. "Wha—really? He wants me there to help out?"

"Why are you surprised? Don't you know how good you are at this stuff? Of course he wants you there. I don't think anyone would do the job better than you." For all his confidence, sometimes he really needs to believe in his own abilities.

He looks at me with a grin. "You really think that huh?"

"Well—yeah. You're brilliant." A slight blush colors my cheeks.

We look at each other for a moment. Then a pained scream comes from the infirmary.

I whip my head over looking at the doors. That scream was all too familiar. My face drains and I feel sick.

"Zuko? Zuko are you okay?" Sokka waves a hand in front of my face.

I can't seem to find my voice. I look to Sokka who's grabbing me by my shoulders now. "Zuko! Zuko it's ok. Come on lets go."

I hear Katara screaming louder and louder. I pinch my eyes shut but it's too late. The flood gates are open and the memory of Mai hits me like a wall.

 _The court room doors slam open and it's Dezrah. He has a panicked expression._

" _What is it?" My heart leaps into my throat, I know it has something to do with Mai._

" _It's the Fire Lady. She's in labor, but she's unconscious." He tells me._

 _Oh no. I dismiss the courts for the rest of the day, giving them my apologies for leaving so abruptly. I all but run to the infirmary and see Uncle and Sokka standing just outside of Mai's room. "What happened? Is she okay? Is the baby here yet?" I ask frantically._

 _Uncle places his hands on my shoulders and is careful with what he says. "Mai and I were outside in the garden feeding the new ducklings. Mai had mentioned earlier in the morning that she was not feeling very well, on top of having some small stomach pain. She fainted and hit her head hard against the tree. I picked her up and took her to the healers. After looking her over, they determined she was in labor. She's been going in and out of consciousness. Waking up every time she has a contraction, then slipping under once they're over. The healers have determined the baby is fine, for now. Mai is very weak at the moment. She will need to push soon but her body isn't responding…Zuko?"_

 _I feel my mouth hanging open slightly and blink a few times. "Uncle…wh-what will happen?" I'm barely keeping it together._

" _I do not know nephew. The healers will have to work on her, and you must not interfere."_

 _I understand but it's hard to be a bystander when I hear Mai groaning in from her room. Her moaning turns into a blood curdling scream. It makes me freeze in my tracks. My fight instinct kicks and I burst through the double doors. I see Mai propped up, legs spread and her face is red from pushing. She looks up at me and calls to me. A nurse shoves me out of the room and into the hallway._

" _Fire Lord, please, remain outside. We need to perform surgery on your wife." He tells me._

" _Surgery?! For what?! What's happening to my wife? Tell me!" I yell at the nurse. My fists are clenched and I feel fire burning my palms. Uncle places his hand on my shoulder to keep me from rushing in again._

" _We're trying assist Lady Mai in her birth, but it's not working as well as we hoped. One of the water bending nurses feels the baby is in distress. We need to perform surgery to extract the child."_

 _I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I hear Mai screaming again, followed by a baby cry. This time, another nurse comes out of the room, looking for the nurse I'm already speaking with. She whispers in his ear and they both look at me._

" _What?! What is it!" I demand. The female nurse walks away and back into Mai's room._

" _My Lord…" he looks like he needs to say something but is struggling with it._

 _I shake off Uncle's hand and shove the now cowering nurse against the wall. "Just tell me, damn it! Or so help me I will burn you through this wall!"_

 _He takes in a deep breath and looks me in the eye, I can see the fear. "Mai just ruptured her uterus. She has severe hemorrhaging, and we're doing everything we can to stop it. Please let me go. I will make sure we do everything we can."_

 _I release him and look to Uncle and Sokka, unable to speak and frozen. Sokka approaches me slowly and pulls me into his chest. Time has no meaning for me in this moment. I don't know how long we stand there. It feels like hours before I hear the doors open, but I don't turn to them. I don't want any more bad news._

 _Uncle speaks to several nurses. Sokka releases me and has to drag me over to Uncle. I stop immediately and already know. Uncle has his head hung low, the expression is familiar. It's the looks he had when he lost his son._

" _Mai?" I whisper softly. He looks up and I see the tears in his eyes. I feel my heart drop from my chest and into the pit of emptiness that is in my stomach. Everything is blurry from brimming tears. I fall to my knees and tears stream down my face. My throat is tight; I can't only make pathetic strangled sounds. Sokka kneels down next to me, speaking softly. I don't hear him clearly. The numbness I feel taking over is deafening. I feel Sokka wrap himself around me. I begin to sob uncontrollably. Uncle too kneels and comforts me._

"Zuko. Zuko? Hey, Zuko, can you hear me? It's okay. I'm here." I snap out of my memory for a second and look around. Sokka has taken me to my room. We're sitting on the edge of my bed. Sokka hands me a glass of water. "Here, drink this. It'll make you feel better." I take a long sip of water and force myself to swallow. "Better?"

I nod. "Y-yea…Sorry about that. I don't know what came over me."

Sokka looks at me wearily and looks like he wants to ask me something.

"What is it?"

"Katara's screaming, it made you remember Mai didn't it? You were completely shut down the whole way here," he looks worried.

"Yeah…it did." I look away and take another sip. Sokka scoots closer to me and rests his hand on my thigh. I look down at his hand. _Please don't move that any higher, you have no idea what you're doing to me_.

"Zuko, do you want to talk about it?" He squeezes his hand lightly and I feel lightning shoot up my spine.

"No…I don't want to think about it anymore." I hand him the glass and he removes his hand from my thigh to grab it. He sets it on my night stand and turns back to me.

"Okay. Are you going to be alright? You scared me back there buddy." His eyes are a piercing blue and I believe they can see right through me. His hair is in a perfect warrior wolf tail, sides freshly shaven and skin tight. I look at his lips for a moment. I feel my chest tighten and start to burn with yearning.

"Uh- yeah. I'm fine. Now that you're here." _Yup, I really just said that. However he interprets it, I'm going to have this conversation._

His ears perk up and tilts his head. "What?"

"Sokka, there is something I want to talk about. It's not about Mai, or what happened back there just now. It's…it's about something else." I say, carefully treading the approaching topic. This might not be the best time, but so help me if I don't tell him my heart my burst.

Sokka silently waits for me to speak. I take a deep breath and take a leap of faith. "Sokka, lately my feelings have shifted…my feelings toward you." I can hear the blood pumping in my ears, and I almost chicken out, but with a gulp I push through. "I…I've found myself looking at you more and more. Damnit! I was jealous of Nahime getting to throw herself at you. You make me feel… Happy? I know it sounds crazy, and I know it might not be typical for men in your culture to… _be_ together. But I need you to know this. And I have reason to believe you feel the same way. I talked to Toph and—"

"She _told_ you?! Ugh! That woman! Always has to ruin everything!" He interrupts me, throwing his arms in the air in frustration. My eyes widen a bit. _Does that mean...can I hope?_ "Sorry. I know you hate being interrupted. Go on…"

"It's fine…Uh…So, is it true? Do you feel the same way?" I ask bravely, well I hope it sounds brave. Sokka opens his mouth but nothing comes out. The silence between us feels physically heavy. I've made myself look like a fool.

"I've had these… _feelings_ lately." Sokka starts awkwardly, clearly not sure if he should say any more. "I don't know where they came from, or what they mean…but they are there." A wave of relief washes over me. I start to laugh at myself. Sokka chuckles a little too. "What are you laughing at?"

"Nothing. I just—ha. I'm just so relieved. It's out in the open. No more holding back in a way."  
Our eyes meet, and Sokka leans in to kiss me.

We hold that kiss, soft and gentle. He pulls away and his eyes that are always so fierce are now soft and dazed. I grab his neck and pull him in, deepening the kiss.

I feel his arm slipping behind me, his hand trailing up my back, pulling me closer. I'm on my back, holding onto him. He kisses me harder and harder each time. Gently I bite his lower lip. His body stills and his breathing becomes husky. I slip my tongue into his mouth and grab the back of his hair using it to guide him so that I'm on top. I straddle him and peel off my robe. His hands slipping under my shirt, trying to take it off. I rip my shirt over my head, tossing it aside. He takes the opportunity to slip his tunic off as well.

When our lips meet again so do our bare chest. Sokka's skin cools mine, he's warm but I run hot, especially when I'm so excited. My cock strains against my pants, and I grind my pelvis into Sokka's trying to get some relief. He moans when I rock against him. I yank his hair back, making him gasp, and he digs his fingers into my hips.

Sokka has his eyes closed when I sit up to admire him. He is biting his lower lip and his chest rises with deep ragged breaths. I trail a finger from his clavicle down to his tight, muscled abdomen. Perfectly tanned skin is marked here and there by scars, I rub a thumb over one. He shivers from my touch. Which makes my erection twitch, and I groan.

His throbbing cock, just inches from my greedy hands, is too much to resist. The waist band of his trousers is loose and I dip my hand in easily, caressing his hard length. His dick is bigger than I anticipated. I feel Sokka's muscles flex under me and he's stopped breathing. I slip my hand up and down his shaft.

"Mmm, Zuko." He moans. _God, say my name again._

I adjust my wrist to cradle and fondle his balls. He can't seem to use words, only letting me know how good I'm making him feel through moans and guttural, primal grunts. I love being in control of him. I pull away and move myself from atop him. I gently pull down his pants and his long hardened cock springs up. My mouth waters and I lean forward. _I need to taste him_. I swirl my tongue around the engorged head, a small dot of precum is deliciously salty to my taste buds. Way better than anything I had eaten earlier today.

"Ohhh fuck." I hear Sokka groan. He has one arm covering his eyes, and the other gripping the sheets. Smiling, I repeat the motion again and again. My hands are holding both sides of Sokka's hips to keep him from bucking as I take him all in my mouth. I slip him deeper, down into the back of my throat.

"Oh Zuko, just like that, don't stop." He hisses.

My hand takes over so I can tease him, "I'm sorry, what was that?" He can't find the words to reply, so he grabs the back of my head and shoves my face into his dick.

I let him slip into the back of my throat once more. I hear him groan in satisfaction. I twirl my tongue around the head of his dick, tightening my lips every time I go back down.

"I-I—I'm about to cum!" Sokka moans. I feel his cock flexing in my mouth, and shove him as far as I can. He jerks my hair and his cock slips to the side of my mouth. I feel his warm seed burst, trickling to my tongue. It's a little bitter tasting, but I don't mind. I lick him clean, and make a popping sound as I release his member from my mouth.

Sokka is panting and sweating. I smile and wipe away the spit I have on my chin.

"How was that?" I ask him huskily. Sokka is still catching his breath. He looks at me, rolls his eyes into the back of his head. "Amazing." He says with a smile.

"Good…Caught your breath yet?" I ask.

"Barley."

I smile and grab his dick once more. "Good. Because we're going again, and it's my turn."

 **Sokka**

When Zuko grabs me and demands round two I'm surprised when I get hard instantly. I look down to Zuko and he handling me expertly, almost better than I imagined the other day. If I let him keep going I'm going to cum again, and he has said it was his turn. I'm nothing if not a dutiful lover. I have to pry him away so I can throw him onto his back. Zuko gives me this amused look as I pin his hands above his head. I bite my lower lip and look him over. His body is perfectly sculpted alabaster. 

Zuko tastes smoky and sweet when we kiss, and I feel the heat radiating from his tongue to mine as they twist and tangle. His body is warm and only gets warmer as I let my hands roam his body leisurely. I move my attention to his neck, kissing and nipping in turn. He hums with pleasure with every bite. I have a feeling he's into sex that's a little rough and dangerous. With that thought, I rake my fingernails down his chest. Zuko grabs my hair and tugs slightly. _Oh yea, he loves this shit._

I lick the red raised skin on his chest, and trail kisses down his body at a painfully slow pace. His eyes are glued to my every move. He gulps as I stop just at the waistband of his pants and lick my lips. I nip my teeth against his hip. He arches his back ever so slightly. I blow on his hard on through the fabric of his pants, moving my lips down the silhouette of it. _Spirits that's big_.

I slide Zuko's pants off, and my eyes widen at its size. _How am I supposed to fit that anywhere?_ I hesitate for a moment; only because, well, I've never been on this end of the act before. I know what feels good though... Right?

I rub slow gentle circles with my thumbs on Zuko's inner thighs. His breathing is heavier. _I guess I've been teasing him long enough._ My hand cradles his balls, massaging them back and forth in my palm. "Mmmm..." Zuko moans. I gently squeeze them and Zuko tenses up slightly. I lick the base of his shaft, moving slowly to the tip of his throbbing member, with my hand still fondling his crown jewels. He gasps and so I do it again and again, smiling.

"Quit _teasing_ me and put my dick in your mouth!" Zuko hisses at me.

 _Well then!_ I grab his pulsing cock and shove it in my mouth, careful not to graze with my teeth.

"OhhhmyGod. Yes, mmm—Sokka…" Zuko moans in a deep, raspy voice. He tugs at my wolf tail, pulling off my hair tie. His hands comb through my hair. I feel him controlling me by my hair that he has twined between his fingers. He is forcing me further and further down on his manhood. I relax my throat trying not to gag and allow him to push through. He obviously enjoys it from all the moans and grunts, but it's hard to breathe! I push off him and gasp for air.

Zuko's chuckling. "Sorry, I got carried away. You just feel so good...come here…" He reaches his hand out to me and I nuzzle my cheek into his palm. We kiss again, hungrily and needy, and I move my hand over to jerk him off. I feel the vibrations of his moaning on my lips.

The taste of him is invigorating. I want to continue pleasuring him with my mouth, but not by kissing, so I move back down to a position where I can continue where I left off—and idea comes to me. When I reach the head of his shaft I twirl my tongue around the tip, go back down, and stop midway. I gently run my teeth up his length.

Zuko thrusts his pelvis into my face and arch his back. "Ahh fuck! Yes! More!" Zuko begs. I oblige doing it again, and again, and again. He moans louder and louder.

I pay special attention to the head, massaging it with my tongue. Precum is salty and tangy in my mouth. _He said he wanted more, well so do I. I want to taste all of him._ I move down to his balls; gently licking and sucking on them. I manage to tuck my hand under him and start tracing slow circles around his asshole, adding pressure. Zuko tenses up again, but my spit is dripping down to his cheeks and I use that to lube the area. My finger moves more smoothly, and he relaxes.

"More?" I look to him for permission to go further, and he can only nod in response. I remove my fingers, and place them him his mouth. "Suck." I command, and as he responds my eyes roll back. My fingers come out with a pop, covered in saliva. I begin pressing on him with one finger at first. With some preparation I fit two in, and then I start moving with purpose. Zuko spreads his legs more for me. I can feel him clench around me.

"Try to relax...I'm going to make this a little more intense," I whisper to him. My fingers are in him as far as I can get them, but instead of pulling them in and out I start stroking his inner walls. There is a spot I'm looking for specifically. One stroke makes his hips buck. _Found it._ I focus on that spot, then pull my fingers out only to go back again. Zuko is desperately trying to control himself. My free hand grasps his cock and starts to move in time with my fingers. I can feel the tension growing in him. I remove my fingers, and still my hand.

He glares at me. "Why'd you do that? I was almost there!"

"Well, I don't want you to. Not yet at least. I'm nowhere near done with you." With a predatory growl, I turn him over and use his hips to pull him to me. His perfectly formed ass is resting against my throbbing erection. I firmly grasp each cheek and knead them in my palms. Without warning I spank him, hard. Even through the pillow he has his face buried in, I can hear his gasp and moan. Pleased that with the reaction, I spread him and rock my dick up and down his crack. Zuko is moaning, gripping the sheets, and arching his back. I pull away and spit in my hand, and rub it onto my hard on.

"Do you want me?"

He looks back with begging eyes. "Yes…"

I line myself up, moving the head of my member around his rim before I begin to push in. He hisses, it's much more to get used to than two fingers. I rub a hand on his lower back, trying to coax him into relaxing. Eventually he does and I move a little more in and out each time till I'm thrusting without resistance. _Oh Spirits this feels so good._

"Sokka, _Faster_." He demands. I quicken my pace, only to find myself going in deeper and harder. I hold onto Zuko by his waist. I'm starting to lose myself in him. I shove my cock in his tight ass again and I groan in relief. "Unnng Zuko, you feel so fucking great." Zuko and I are sweating, moaning, and on the verge on climax. I reach down to grab Zuko's cock, and start jerking him off.

"Sokka! Sokka! I-I'm—Uhh!" Zuko sputters. He jerks, and suddenly I feel warm cum trickling down my hand. Still thrusting I lick him off my fingers. The feeling of him trembling under me is too much and I cum with one last hard, deep thrust.

We're both panting, trying to catch our breath after our intense love making. Zuko rests his head on my chest and curls into me. "Spirits…That was something else huh?" I say.

"You could say that again." He says back. I smile to myself and kiss the top of his head. I can't help but think of how relieved I am. All that sexual tension, the fantasies, finally released. Through the clarity of sexual release an unsettling thought comes clearly to the forefront of my mind— _what happens now?_

 **Zuko**

I can hear Sokka's heartbeat thudding rapidly in my ear. His chest rises and falls, trying to calm down from the excitement. I'm quite too tired to put forth any effort to move. My hair is itching my face, I'm sweaty, my _ass_ is sore. I probably look like a mess. I just want to lay here and go to sleep, but I don't have that luxury. Katara is in labor after all, and our reprieve, although world shatteringly amazing, was starting to feel selfish.

Sokka's eyes are closed. _Looks like we have the same idea_. "Sokka...hey Sokka don't go to sleep." I say to him, budging his chest to wake him up.

"Ugggghhh…why not?" He whines with his eyes still closed.

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe you've already forgotten that your little sister is having her baby." I hiss at him. I flick his nose and push off of him.

"Ow! What was that for?" Sokka rubs his nose and sits up.

"For being stupid. Now come on, we need to wash up and go back there."

"She doesn't even want me there." Sokka protests.

"She doesn't want you _in_ the room. That doesn't mean she doesn't want you there. There's a difference." I say, making my way to the bathroom. Sokka groans and mumbles something about being tired.

"You think I'm not tired? I want to go to sleep too, but if we don't show our faces for the rest of the day, don't you think that would be a little suspicious?"

"Hey why are you scolding me? How are you so cranky after sex?" Sokka says in a teasing tone.

The shower sputters to life and I look back at Sokka while the water heats. He's looking me over. "I'm not! I mean—I don't mean to be. But like I said, it would raise suspicion."

Sokka smiles and waves his hand. "No I know, I know. I'm just saying you're still uptight after all that? Didn't you enjoy yourself?" He motions for us to step into the shower after sauntering over from the bed.

"No! I-I mean…yes I enjoyed myself, but we've been gone long enough already and I—"

Sokka interrupts me with a passionate kiss that relaxes me a little, and I kiss him back. I guess he's a little right. I'm a bit uptight. But rightly so! I can't help it.

Sokka pulls away slightly and rest his forehead against mine. He touches my nose with his finger. "There. Feel a little more at ease? Sheesh. You really don't know when to shut up do you?" He whispers. His words are playful, so I don't take offense.

"Oh _I_ don't know when to shut up? Ha, says the loudmouth." I slap water in Sokka's face and turn away to grab the soap. Sokka wraps his arms around my waist and holds me for a second. His touch feels right, and a smile forms on my lips.

After our shower, we dry up quickly. I dry my hair by running my hands through my hair with a bit of heat, it's a fire bending trick I learned on while I was traveling with Uncle. I do this for Sokka too. We gather our clothes off the ground and sort them out. Sokka and I get dressed in silence, neither of us needing to look the other ones way. It was a comfortable silence.

We're about to walk out when Sokka reaches for my hand. "Hey hold on a second. I need to know something." He rubs his hand on the back of his neck nervously.

I turn to him with concern. "What is it?"

"Well…I was wondering about what just happened." 

"We had sex Sokka." 

"I know that! What I'm asking is—where does this leave us?"

I stand there looking at Sokka, my face a still mask. _Shit. Where does this leave us?_ I open my mouth to speak but Sokka beats me.

"I just want to know if we're still friends after this." 

_Friends? Really?!_

"Well Sokka of course we will always be friends. You should know, I don't take intimacy lightly. I don't believe people share intimate moments like that without pursuing something further." 

"You mean a relationship?" He sounds nervous. 

"Yes," I roll my eyes at his reaction. "I mean a relationship."

He wants to say something more, but can't seem to put it into words.

"Sokka, look, I know this _just_ happened. I won't push you into something that you don't want. Understand that I'm not a concubine for your personal pleasures though."

Sokka snaps back in focus to what I just said. "No no no that's not what I want! I wouldn't use you like that. How could you think that way about me?" Sokka is actually offended.

 _Zuko you fucking jerk_. I shake my head, back pedaling now. "I'm not saying you're like that. I don't know why I said it like that. We just shouldn't rush into anything official, not today or even tomorrow. We need to take some time to figure it, us, out."

Sokka nods his head. "Okay..."

I walk over to Sokka and raise his chin up so I can look him in the eye. "Hey…we'll figure this out. It will take time. Okay?" I give him a reassuring smile that he returns. "Right now we need to be there for Katara."

Sokka kisses my cheek. "And you say you don't have a sweet bone in your body."

I laugh. "I do have a sweet bone, you've only gotten a taste of it."

Sokka looks at me as if I said something stupid. He didn't catch my innuendo. His eyes widen as realization dawns on him, and he blushes. "Y-y-you!" He stammers. I laugh more and wrap my arm around his shoulders, heading out the door.

We walk through the halls silently, and closely. Too soon we find ourselves outside of Katara's infirmary suit, and the rest of the group is waiting. The children are chasing each other; yelling about what the baby will be.

"I want another brother! Sisters are bratty!" Bumi shouts at Kya.

"Well I want another sister! Because my big brother is annoying!" Kya shouts back.

"You guys! Come on, you're not so bad to each other." Izumi whines, trying to get them to calm down. Uncle has his eyes closed and is rubbing his temples, probably tired from the kids constant high volume and rapid rate of speech. _I don't blame him. I've been here all of five seconds and I feel a headache coming on_.

Toph steps in and with a stomp of her foot sends the siblings flying to either side of the hallway. "That's _ENOUGH!_ For crying out loud! For all you know, your new brother or sister may not like either of you!" She yells. Both Bumi and Kya are stunned at their usually playful Aunt's outburst, neither dare move a muscle for fear of irking her further.

Toph sits backs down next to Uncle, who's trying to contain his laughter behind a hand. Izumi is slumped over in exhaustion. Izumi hates arguments; she probably overexerted herself trying to calm the two down, before Toph stepped in.

"And just where the hell have _you two_ been all this time?!" Toph shouts.

Izumi snaps her head in my direction, beaming. "Daddy!" She sprints to me and jumps into my arms. Her arms are wrapped so tightly around my neck I start to choke. I tap Izumi to loosen her grip, but it only gets tighter. She finally releases me and glares, eyebrows pinched. "Daddy! Where have you been?! Auntie Katara is in there having a baby, and you just _left!_ "

I gawk at her, mouth hanging open. Is my daughter _scolding_ me? She's _five!_

"Izumi that is _no_ way to speak to your father. Remember your proper _respect_ , young lady." I tell her firmly. Both of u are glaring now and neither one backing down.

"Well?" She says short.

"There is no denying that she's _your_ child, Zuko." I hear Uncle say.

I snap my glare to him. "No one asked you, Uncle. _"_

I hear Toph and Sokka giggling at me. "Well, he's right you know." Sokka says.

I look over to Sokka who tries to maintain his composure and stifle his laughter. "Oh? You have something to say too?" Sokka just shrugs and walks over to Uncle and Toph, who are still laughing.

I look back to Izumi, still impatiently waiting for me to answer her. I take a deep breath. "Izumi, I apologize for not being here with our family. I had to take a moment for myself."

"And what does _that_ mean, exactly?"  
 _  
Where does she get this attitude?_ Now _I'm_ starting to lose my patience.

"Izumi! Would you—ugh!" I take another deep breath. _She's only a child, she's only a child._ I repeat to myself.

I look at her once more. "Izumi, you're too young to understand."

Her face relaxes a little, eyes still fierce with determination to get an answer out of me.  
"I would too, if you would tell me anything."

I hear Toph say something about me and Izumi being identical. It's a comment I decide to ignore.

"Earlier, your Aunt was in a lot of pain. When she screamed, it reminded me of something I didn't want to remember."

Izumi's face softens, and she places her small hands over mine. All of my irritation is instantly gone.

"Your mother, when she gave birth, was in so much pain. I wasn't allowed to see her or to comfort her. My last memory of your mother is of her being in pain and not being able to be there for her."

Tears start to form in Izumi's eye and I'm afraid I've said too much. "It's okay. It's nothing for you to be sad about sweetheart."

Izumi nods her head, but the tears are still there. I hug her tightly. 

"I'm fine now. Really, I am. Those memories are better not remembered. All except one." She looks at me curiously. "You. I got you. From the first moment I heard you cry, I loved you. Even when you are being a brat," She protested, she never misbehaved. I muse her hair and she gives me a watery smile. I know that she is going to be fine.

Aang appears from the infirmary with a big smile on his face. "Hey you guys, come inside and meet Tenzin; Bumi and Kya's new baby brother."

Bumi leaps into the air. "Yes! Another brother! Woohoo!" he screams. Kya has a displeased look on her face, arms crossed across her chest.

We all make our way into Katara's room, I'm the last to enter.

The sun stream into the room casting Katara in an angelic light. She's holding her newborn son, peering down at him in awe. I stop for a second and can't help picture Mai doing the same thing, with Izumi. My heart drops slightly. The feeling doesn't last long though, as Sokka calls me closer with a wave of his hand and a smile. 

**Sokka**

Katara looks so amazing. Well she looks amazing—despite being sweaty, disheveled, and smelling like she's in desperate need of bathing. Considering she pushed a baby out without medicine or healers easing her pain, I'm surprised she looks half as well as she does. She's a damn warrior princess.

I peer over to get a good look at my newborn nephew. He looks just like Aang. He has all of his facial features and skin tone. The only thing he has from Katara is her fierce, piercing blue eyes. He's beautiful. I kiss Katara on the forehead before she passes out. "Good job baby sister. You did great."

She looks over to me and smiles. "I'm very tired. I don't think I could do this again." She says with a light chuckle. Aang grabs Tenzin from Katara and cradles him so everyone else can see.

"Would you like to hold him Toph? Get some practice in?" Aang says.

"Uhh no thanks. I'm a 'learn on the job' type of gal. No offense." She says.

"Iroh?" Aang offers.

"Oh it would be an honor!" General Iroh sits down and pats the seats next to him, telling Bumi and Kya to sit with him. Aang hands Iroh the baby and immediately he is cooing over him. I haven't seen him this happy since Izumi's birth.

Kya and Bumi observe their little brother with curiosity. "He's so small…and squishy." One of them says.

Izumi pushes away and jumps down from Zuko's arms and joins the others. I look at Zuko and he's lost in thought. I can't help but think how peaceful and beautiful he looks.

"So what's with you two? Is everything okay?" Toph asks, sneaking up from behind. I jump, startled.

"Ah! Toph! Don't do that! You nearly gave me a heart attack, and that aside, what's with you sticking your nose in other people's business?" I say with a bit of an attitude.

"Oh-hohoho. _Excuuuuse meeee_ Snoozles. I'm just curious as to why you guys took forever getting back here. _N_ ot to mention, you two have a weird vibe. Way more weird than before."

"What do you mean a weird vibe? We're fine. Completely normal. Really!" 

"Hmmm. Whatever you say Snoozles. I know there's something going on. I'll just leave it at that for now, and save you the embarrassment." 

_Oh gee, thanks oh gracious one._

I glare at her as she congratulates Katara.

Iroh stands up and walks over to Zuko. 

"Nephew, I think you should acquaint yourself to Avatar Aang's youngest child." He says, handing over my delicate nephew. 

"Oh Uncle I don't think—" Iroh places Tenzin in Zuko's arms, fixing his position. 

"Ah…There we are. See Zuko? It's like riding a Komodo Rhino—you never forget."

At first Zuko is wide eyed and scared. Probably lacking confidence in holding such a young child, it's been a long time since Izumi was that small. Zuko gazes at the baby, who grabs his finger and lets out a soft cry. Zuko's face immediately softens and smiles. It's exactly the look he had when he held Izumi for the first time.

 _It felt like an eternity before another nurse came out into the hallway, giving us her condolences. She kneels next to Zuko and provides him with words of comfort as best she can. Eventually she asks if he would like to say good-bye to Mai, before her body was prepared. I was shocked by how fast they were planning to whisk her body away. That's not how it was done in the Water Tribes, we celebrated life in an honored the dead in a weeklong celebration where the body was placed on an ice pyre. How were mere minutes going to be enough time to say all the things that need to be said? Seeing her in his current state would not do his feelings justice. He was not going to be able to grieve properly. The Fire Nation was different though._

 _Iroh and I helped him up and walked him into Mai's room. Everyone was silent, and stared at us with pity. Mai was lying in her bed; motionless. We stop and Zuko looks up and sees her lifeless body. Tears flowing from his eyes, he stops over her. He holds her hand gently..._

" _Mai….Mai it's me…" Zuko whimpers. He's trying to wake her up, and she's not responding. "Mai please…Please don't leave me. I need you. We need you…Mai please answer me." He cries._

 _I can't handle this._

 _Iroh is by his side, comforting him. Telling him that she's moved on into the Heavens. Zuko looks at him with pleading eyes._

" _Zuko…Please. Say goodbye to Mai." Iroh pleads. Zuko looks back at Mai and kisses her forehead, and tells her he loves her for the last time. Iroh looks over to the nurses and nods for them to take Mai away. Zuko watches them, still not quite letting himself believe it's real._

 _I feel a touch on my arm. A young healer is standing behind me. "Excuse me Sir, my apologies. I'm very sorry for your loss... I wanted to inform you that whenever the Fire Lord wishes to see his daughter, she's almost washed. We have a nearby farmer expressing milk from his Oxgoat for her to eat. Whenever he's ready, she'll be in the next room." She bows very low, walking backwards. A daughter!_

 _Iroh and Zuko are holding one another, crying silently now. I don't want to interrupt them. How do I tell him 'Oh hey you guys, whenever you're done crying, your daughter is ready to see you!'_

 _I stand near them for a moment awkwardly, Zuko turns towards me._

" _Is the baby okay?" He asks. I look at him, surprised that he's spoken._

" _She's doing great." I give him a reassuring smile._

 _"I have a daughter?" His eyes clear a bit, gleaming with pride._

 _I nod. "You have a baby girl. Congratulations!"_

 _Zuko wipes his eyes. "You're a Great Uncle!"_

 _Iroh smiles laughs. "That is the best promotion I've had, since you were born Nephew." They hug one last time before asking where they could find her. I walk them to her room, where a nurse is rocking back and forth in a rocking chair, feeding the hungry child. The nurse looks up to Zuko and stops mid rock._

" _No please, stay. I don't want to disturb her." Zuko says to the nurse, in a raw raspy voice. The nurse readjusts herself and waits for Zuko to walk over. She carefully stands up gently handing her to Zuko. "Oh uh—I don't know how to—"He stammers. The nurse tells him how to support the baby. After some adjustments, Zuko finally looks at his baby girl for the first time. Tears gather in the corner of his eyes, happy tears. "Hey there little one. Do you know who I am? I'm your Daddy. I've been waiting a very long time to meet you." He whispers to her, fixing her wrapping to keep her warm._

 _Zuko looks back at me and Iroh to join him. We walk over and see her looking back at the three of us. "Zuko…She is beautiful." Iroh says._

" _Thank you Uncle…"_

 _"What are you going to name her?" I ask. Zuko raises his daughter up in front of us and softly says, "Izumi. Her name is Izumi."_

From that moment, I promised Zuko that I would help him in _any_ way I could with Izumi. The announcement of the Fire Lady's death, her funeral, and the announcement of his future heir all took place in the same day. Zuko was a wreck, and needed all the help he could get.

I feel something tugging at my shirt, and it's Izumi. "Yes Izumi? Do you need something?" I ask her.

"I wanted to know if Uncle Aang and Aunt Katara were going to stay a little longer. I want to share my birthday with baby Tenzin!"

Katara and Toph overhear Izumi and start laughing. "Our birthday present to you was our visit this entire time, Izumi. Of course we're staying." Katara says.

Izumi bolts over to Katara's bed and gently crawls on top of her, giving her a hug. "Oh Auntie, this is the best present ever!"


	3. Chapter 3

A/N from Carmen_sandyeggo: Hello dedicated readers! We'd like to apologize for the delay in this update. We got very busy and had to hold off on this. I'd like to clear up a few things in this chapter- when Sokka becomes the Head of the Councilmen; words like chairman are used interchangeably for the same position. We don't want you to be confused as to what Sokka's title is exactly. In chapter four, there will be a few things that will be off- based of the actual series- however, further down in the story, they will be arranged as such. I hope that makes sense without giving away any details. Thank you so much for reading! :)

A/N from Audrie: Carmen really outdid herself guys, I think you're going to love this chapter. I know I did.

 **Zuko**

It's finally Izumi's birthday. I can't believe she is already five years old. I didn't know the time would fly by so fast. I want to make today special for her. I know showering her in gifts and spoiling her rotten won't make up for lost time, but she deserves anything and everything her heart desires.

Izumi has advanced in her studies, and is recognized as the best fire bender in her age group. Her character is developing so rapidly, I feel like one day soon I'm going to look at her and she is going to be a woman. I _need_ to set time aside for my daughter. She will take my place one day, and I want her to be as prepared. I also want her to have fond memories of me. I will not be like my father.

Sokka and I had decided to make Izumi breakfast in bed as the first of her many surprises. It's been a long time since I've prepared anything myself, but I know how to make the basics. Well I would have been able to make the basics if we could figure out the stove.

"Do you know how to work this thing?" Sokka asks, he and I were used to making fire the old fashion way, not on the giant gas contraption looming in front of us.

"No. I was hoping you would know." I grumble, not liking that I'm being bested by an inanimate object.

"How would I know?! I've only heard of these things. It's like the shower all over again!"

When Sokka moved into the palace, he had no idea what a shower was. He called it a waterfall for the longest time.

"Well I don't know!" I yell.

We both stand and stare at the stove, hoping something comes to one of us. Sokka leans in and takes a look at several of the knobs on the front of the oven.

"There are markings on here. One side is a small flame and the other side is a huge flame. Hmmmm…so this should turn it on right?"

Sokka turns the knob in one direction; nothing happens. He turns it the other way and again, nothing happens. Sokka slumps his head and whines. "Ohh come on stoooove."

"UGH! We don't have _time_ for this!" I yell, smoke comes out of my nose in a huff. I start hitting the knobs, and I hear a clicking noise. I stop pushing the knobs and the clicking stops. _What was that?_ I push the knobs again and the clicking sounds return.

"Isn't it supposed to do something?" Sokka asks.

"Yea, but what?"

We hear someone clearing their throat, only to find one of the kitchen assistants staring at us blankly. I straighten up and straighten out my robes, looking away nonchalantly. Sokka smiles sheepishly and explains that he was just trying to turn on the stove.

The assistant walks over and pushes and turns the knob. The gas catches fire with the metallic clicking. He looks back at us with a raised eyebrow, making sure we watched how it was supposed to be done. A nod from us is satisfactory and he walks out the other end of the kitchen to start on his morning prep work.

Preparing breakfast for Izumi was another excuse to spend time together away from work. The past few days had been very busy. Having any private time was nearly impossible. We've had to help out with Aang, Katara and the kids. Which I don't mind at all—I want their family to feel welcomed and taken care of. We all took turns looking over the kids. Sokka liked to take Tenzin out from the infirmary, so Katara could get some rest; as well as show off his 'cute floppy' nephew.

I decide on scrambled ostrich-quail eggs, fried potatoes, and turkey-pig bacon. Sokka wanted to make her something fun and sweet. After looking through the pantries and walk in icebox, he decided to make her a sweet fruit salad.

"These fruits are a little tart," Sokka smacks loudly after popping a strawberry in his mouth. "…What can I use to make them sweeter?" He mumbles to himself. While I was chopping potatoes, Sokka's finger appears in my face. It's coated in sugar-wasp honey.

"Hey do you think this would make the fruit too sweet?" Sokka asks.

Without thinking about it, I wrap my mouth around Sokka's finger and gently suck the honey off. Sokka drops his jaw and his cheeks turn a beat red.

I pull away and smack my lips together. "No, it's perfect." I say casually, and then turn back to my chopping. Sokka's jaw is on the ground in shock. I smile to myself. Seeing my smirk he closes him mouth and shakes his head.

At the stove, as I'm stirring eggs, I feel Sokka bump into me. I brush it off as an accident, but it keeps happening over and over. He's working at a prep station behind me, despite the kitchen being so large.

"Would you quit it? You're making me make a mess all over!" I laugh, trying to spin myself away from him.

"No it's fun!" He says flirtatiously, bumping is hips into mine.

"You think it's fun, do you?" I put my hands on either side of him, backing him up to the counter. I lean forward and whisper in his ear, "You're so…" I reach behind him and dip my finger into the honey pot, and drizzle it on his cheek and neck. "Sweet." I lick the honey off, starting at the base of his neck. He shivers in response, and fidgets against me.

"Zuko…" He looks around me nervously. It's true that someone could walk in at any moment, but it just fuels my desire for him. Prudence tossed to the wind.

"Just a little more, no one is going to walk in on us." I try to ease his worry, and kiss his neck, nipping softly here and there.

Sokka lets out a moan but manages to say, "No, Zuko." He points to the stove.

The smell of burning eggs is getting stronger. "Shit!" I push off and move the smoking pan of eggs to a sink full of water. It sizzles as it's submerged. Water and suds splash up at me.

The fruit bowl Sokka's made glistens with honey and is topped with a lopsided happy face made from crème. Sokka places his proud dish onto the food tray and smirks at me. I have to start over and his perfect fruit bowl is literally staring at me, and I'll be damned if that crooked grin made of whipped crème didn't look just as cocky as Sokka.

Shaking my head I get back to work, whisking eggs and warming up butter in a pan. He's lucky it's getting late, and we need to be done with breakfast soon. Otherwise he would be in for a world of flying flour and maybe an egg or two.

I look back at our cooking station once I set my pate next to his, and I don't like what I see. The kitchen is a complete mess. Eggs were gooed on the counter tops; eggshells crunched on the floor in a million pieces; chopped fruit stems littered and peeled potato skins were in haphazard piles; and honey dripped off of the counter into a sticky pool…it was just awful.

"I think we did a great job!" Sokka says with his chest puffed up.

I look in disbelief. _You're kidding me, right?_

"We can't leave the kitchen like this." I say.

"Why not? You have a million servants who could do this for us." He whines, his shoulders slumped.

I put the tray of food aside and find a wet rag to and toss it to him. Sulking he goes about wiping up honey. I turn my attention to all the yolk. We are at the sink washing out our rags. Mine is clean and I'm about to go back to cleaning when a splash of water hits me square in the face. I freeze and slowly open my eyes to see Sokka with an ear to ear grin.

"You've just been asking for this all morning, haven't you?" I smack my wet rag against his face.

" _Really_?" Sokka says deeply, grabbing the towel and tossing it aside.

"Yes. Really." I scoop up some water in my cup hands and drop it over his head.

Sokka's deep blue eyes pierce through me as water drips down his face. My body tenses in anticipation of his reaction. Sokka looks over his shoulder to make sure no one else was around.

Sokka slaps me with a face full of crème. I stand there in shock—eyes wide, mouth open, completely frozen. Sokka licks and sucks the sweet whipped topping off my bottom lip then pulls away.

There is flour in a bag on a shelf not far away. I grab two hands full and smack them together over his head. It sticks to his damp hair and skin. I burst out laughing, payback. Next thing I know Sokka and I are in a full-fledged food fight. Flour, tomatoes, fruit, cabbages, and anything else we can get ahold of is flying through the air.

" _WHAT IN THE HELL IS GOING ON IN HERE?! ARE THOSE MY CABBAGES?!"_ A booming voice stops us both mid throw. We whip our heads in the direction of the yell and we see Jo-Gin towering over us. His eyebrows are pinched in anger; his mouth forming a deep frown. His eyes screamed murder.

I can't seem to move, or speak. I shift my eyes over to Sokka for help.

"Uhhh…Making a birthday breakfast for the Crowned Princess?" Sokka says innocently.

Jo-Gin didn't seem to be happy with the answer, a vein was angrily throbbing in his neck. I stand in between Jo-Gin and Sokka before the chef loses it and decides to get physical.

"Jo-Gin." I hold up a hand, to still his anger. "We were cooking Izumi breakfast and we got carried away. We'll clean up right now."

Jo-Gin his anger slowly diffuses and he shakes his head. "I apologize Fire Lord, I let my temper get the better of me. Please, take your food to Princess Izumi. My staff and I will finish cleaning up."

I go to protest, my offer to clean up was not an empty one. His look cuts me short though. He has shown me the respect my title deserves, but he is not happy with what I have done to his kitchen. "Fire Lord, I insist."

Sokka and I take the hint. He snatches the tray up and we leave the kitchen with all the appearance of composure. Once we are out of the kitchen though I let out a sigh of relief and collapse to the floor. Sokka still looks scared shitless. When our eyes meet we both start laughing.

"That was awesome. I thought he was going to _kill_ me!" Sokka says with a laugh.

I bury my face in my hands. "He was about to kill both of us, Fire Lord or not." It wasn't often I had that much fun. I felt like a kid again.

Sokka helps me up off the ground and we start off to Izumi's room, still covered head to toe in food and flour.

"Izumi…Wake up sweetheart." I whisper, and stroke her hair gently.

Izumi's eyes flutter open and she mumbles about it being too early.

"Oh, I guess I can take this birthday breakfast away and enjoy it myself." I tease, turning to walk away.

"Oh! Wait, wait, wait!" She shouts, suddenly awake and sitting up. I turn back to her and gently set the tray on her lap.

"Happy Birthday." I kiss her forehead.

"Did you and Dad make me breakfast?" She asks Sokka.

"We did! I hope you like it! It was made with lots of love." Sokka says with a warm smile. "And mayyyybe a little bit of a food fight."

Izumi giggles and points at our robes. "Is that why you and Daddy are covered in flour?"

The three of us laugh together. "We even got in trouble, if you ever get it in your head that throwing food is a good idea."

"I wouldn't throw food, I'm a Lady!" She giggles some more. "Thank you so much Daddy, it looks yummy! I love my smiling fruit bowl!" 

"Oh yeah, point one Sokka. I'm glad _someone_ appreciates my artistic abilities. Now eat up! We have a busy day ahead of us!" He hands her a fork and motions for her to dig in.

Izumi doesn't hesitate, and starts inhaling her food. She must have learned that from him. So much for being a lady.

Before Sokka and I part ways back to our rooms; we stop and whisper.

"Good call on the breakfast in bed." Sokka says, touching my arm.

I lean in closer to him and shrug. "I guess it was an alright idea. It was certainly fun." I reply, laughing lightly.

The look Sokka has when he's studying me is so tender. It's like he is committing every detail to memory. It's intense, but not unpleasant.

"You know…I _could_ help you rinse off all that flour and honey on your face." He whispers in my ear, trailing his finger down my chest.

My eyes follow the path of his traveling finger. I smile back, biting the inside of my cheek. God how I wanted him to. Grudgingly I take a half step back. "We shouldn't. I really want to, but maybe now isn't the best time. I don't want the others to sus—"

"Suspect…I know." He finishes my sentence with a sigh. Disappointment is written over his features. It pains me to know I'm the one causing him to look that way. I hated sneaking around, but there were still no clear lines on our relationship. We needed to be careful, at least while our friends were still in the palace.

I grab his face so his eyes meet mine. "Hey. We haven't talked about _us_ yet. And the last thing I want to happen are rumors being spread about you. Especially before you're ready."

He nods. "Yea I know. You're right. It's hard to restrain myself though. Especially when you're so dirty." He winks at me.

I squeeze his hand, and pull him into me; pressing my lips against his. They are warm and soft against mine. I let him go and have to push him toward his room, before I take him to mine and have my way with him. It's not our day. As Sokka walks away, I can't help but notice the sway of his hips; it's a little cocky and sensual.

I turn to head to my room. I feel my heart sink into my stomach as I see Toph at the end of the hall. _Fuck_.

"Well, well, well…It appears that Sparky and Matches have officially started their own fire." She says with a grin as smug as I've ever seen.

 _Exactly how long has she been lingering around?_ My heart is about to leap out from my chest. I don't need Toph running her mouth off to anyone—especially to Aang and Katara.

 **Sokka**

Our large group, cleverly disguised thanks to myself, made our way down the grand walkway from the main city. There was some type of carnival going on with performers, animals, and games you could play to win prizes. Traveling there wasn't as hectic as I thought it would have been—especially since Katara was carrying the baby strapped to her chest and Toph being pregnant.

No one recognized us of us through our disguise. Although, several people studied Zuko's face—he wasn't the only person with an Agni Kai scar, but they were not very common. No one said anything, even if they suspected it was the Fire Lord.

I had my beard on before we left but Katara ripped it off with disgust. She tossed it to Zuko who burn it to a pile of ash. Jerks.

Walking around the lower city, it was crowded. The entire Capital was heading to the carnival. I held onto Izumi's hand, while Zuko held the other. Katara had Tenzin wrapped to her chest while Aang and Toph held Bumi's and Kya's hands. We couldn't let anyone get separated, especially with no guards around. General Iroh stayed behind to ensure Izumi's surprise party was absolutely perfect. Of course, he told Izumi that his old joints wouldn't be up for the trip.

After walking for what felt like _forever_ , and waiting in line equally as long, we finally were able to buy tickets for the main entrance. A heavy bag of coins secured our passes to all of the side shows and special events.

"So, what do you guys want to do first?" I ask the group.

Shrugs are my only answer. Spirits we're old. We can't even think of something fun to do at a carnival of all places!

"Hey guys I've got something!" Aang says and excitedly pulls a marble out of his pocket. "Watch this kids." He starts Air Bending it in a fast circle.

"Are you kidding me!" I smack his hands with a snap, sending the marble flying. "Okay, one, we are under cover here…and you almost blew it. Last Airbender? Ring a bell? Two, everyone has seen that trick already." I hold up my two fingers and motion them so he knows I'll have my eyes on him.

Katara shakes her head at the two of us. Aang looks like his feelings are a little hurt, and she rubs his shoulders in consolation. I can almost feel the heat of her glare on my neck, but I stubbornly ignore it.

"Daddy, Daddy! Can we play some games over there?" Izumi exclaims, swinging Zuko's arm and points to a thick set of tents all with flashing lights and high shelves holding toys.

"Yeah! I want the BIGGEST prize they've got!" Bumi yells at Aang, who quickly recovers seeing his son's excitement.

"Let's go!" Kya says, pulling Toph with her.

We all follow behind the children to their game stall of choice. I had to pull Kya aside and warn her not to water bend, just in case someone noticed. When she protested that it wasn't fair, I explained that she would draw too much attention with how cool and awesome she was that our disguises would be ruined. Disappointed, Kya mumbled that she understood. She was bummed that she couldn't cheat at the water games; she wanted to get more big prizes than Bumi.

I jumped between playing games with Bumi and Kya. I hadn't had the chance to really play with them back at the palace, so I was going to have as much fun with them as I could.

Aang and I really started to get into the fun, but Zuko and Toph were acting weird. I wanted them to join in with the kids but they kept getting distracted. They whispered side conversations while sneaking odd glances at me the whole time. Toph was more than likely trying to pester Zuko into spilling more details about our feelings, or something. I want us to have fun, and her prying is only going to make the day tense and awkward.

"Hey you guys! You're missing out on a lot of fun today!" I say to them both, walking over to them with the purpose of disrupting their conversation. As I get closer I notice Zuko looks like a captive more than a willing participant in their tete-a-tete.

"You know what, you're right. I'll watch over the kids with Aang. Looks like Izumi is having a tough time winning some prizes." He walks away. _Gee thanks._ I glare at Toph, who gives me an innocent look.

"What are you doing?" I ask her, suspicion heavy in my voice.

"What-ever do you mean, Sokka?" She says sweetly.

I roll my eyes and groan. "Toph. Don't play this game with me. What do you keep bothering Zuko about? It's Izumi's birthday, he needs to spend time with her. Not be interrogated by you."

Toph raises her eyebrow and puts her hand on her chest. "Well I never. Zuko was just making sure I was alright with all the walking we did to get here. What makes you think I'm bothering him?" She says matter of fact.

It was a sly cover—but I knew it wasn't the real reason.

"Listen here missy, Zuko keeps looking over at me while you two are all _whisper-whisper,_ so don't try and pretend nothing is going on _._ "

Toph's smile slowly splits her face. Instantly I feel my confidence crippling at her reaction. "It's funny that _you_ should be concerned about Zuko looking at you, considering you two are so close. I mean, close enough to be kissing in the middle of a hallway. A few glances seem so trivial comparatively." She says with a shrug.

 _What?! How does she know that?!_ I gawk at her. I'm looking back and forth from her and Zuko; trying to find my words.

She starts to laugh at me and pats my back. "Look Sokka, it's okay. I'm not going to say anything, and I'm not judging you. Hahaha, I think it's cute how you two are trying so hard to keep this between yourselves. I'm just happy you two finally realized you dig each other. This has been under the surface since that Air Temple, years ago."

The anxiety I thought I would feel when someone found out never came. It was almost a relief, and that was a shock in itself.

I let out a deep sigh and rub my eyes. Toph wraps her arms around me tightly. She doesn't say anything, but her hug tells me enough; love, acceptance, and happiness. I hug her back and kiss the side of her cheek.

"Just be sure you don't keep this from your family forever."

I needed to have that talk with Zuko—soon. I need to know what we are before I can bring myself to tell my father or sister.

"So…What did Zuko tell you exactly?" I ask her.

She blushes slightly, and I immediately know the answer. I palm my face in embarrassment. I liked my sex life to stay private.

"It's no big deal Snoozles. It's a normal thing, okay? I mean, I don't have the full details…but I can imagine." She waggles her eyebrows suggestively.

"Toph!"

"What? It's no big deal! Now let's go win some prizes!" She slams her hand in my back with enough force that it makes me stumble forward.

Zuko and Izumi are dominating the ring toss—one after another the small hoops loop around bottle necks. Double— _triple_ —stacking rings. Bumi and Kya kept had set their rings to the side, all but forgotten as the other pair make every shot. The vender lets them pick a prize from the highest shelf. They are all obviously of better quality than the normal prizes.

"Whatever you want young lady, I've never seen anyone so good at this game." The vendor smiles and hands Izumi the medium sized Fire Ferret stuffed animal she pointed to with excitement. Zuko gazes at the prizes for a moment, carefully deciding which one he wants. His gaze stops and he points out something towards the back. The vendor pulls out a well carved wooden play sword.

Zuko turns to Izumi and gives her the sword. "No Daddy, that's _your_ prize." She whines.

"But I won it for _you._ I figure you could use it when you start practicing with your Uncle Sokka." He says, but then shrugs and twirls it impressively. "If you don't want it though. It's a nice practice sword."

She lunges at Zuko and tries to grab the sword but he side steps her. "Nope it's my prize, remember?" Obviously she's excited to start sword training. She'd been begging us to let her practice sword forms with us for the past few weeks.

Izumi is small and fast, so she is able to feint and grab the wooden sword from him and starts showing off her amateur sword thrusts. He blocks her blows and has her chasing him around. She manages to find an opening and thrusts her sword right in the middle of Zuko's chest. He acts like he's been impaled, and in a flare of dramatics, he lies on the floor pretending to be dead.

Izumi giggles and shakes Zuko to stand up. When he doesn't respond, she starts tickling him. Instantly Zuko jerks away from her trying to escape. She's chasing him in circles before Zuko finally sweeps her up and puts her on his shoulders.

I laugh as I watch the two of them goof around. Seeing Zuko this happy and able to spend some quality time with Izumi is adorable and refreshing. Zuko doesn't give himself enough credit, he's an amazing father. I get it; he's always busy. He's running a nation for Sprits sake! He's a caring, loving though, as a father should be. It doesn't take a mind reader to see that he loves her with his heart. _He's a good man_.

"Hey look you guys! There's a performance over by that tent!" Aang called to us. We follow Aang to the show, weaving and dodging through the crowd.

I feel my arm pull back gently. I glance over my shoulder to see Katara holding my arm.

"Hey." She says softly, with a smile.

"Hey. Are you having a good time? Are you tired?" I ask her, offer my arm to escort her.

"I'm having fun! I don't know how Tenzin has been able to sleep through all the sounds and lights." She strokes his head lovingly. I'm surprised she brought him out, he looks so small and fragile.

"I'm so glad you're here. We haven't really haven't been able to spend time together like this in a long time."

"I'm glad we're here too. Do you want to sit together for the show?"

"Sure! Do you want me to hold onto Tenzin?"

"If you'd like, just hold him for a moment and I'll wrap him to you." Tenzin coos and stretches his arms as she passes him to me.

I grab him and cradle him into my chest to protect him. Katara unwraps her sling and ties Tenzin to my chest.

"I need to as you a serious question Katara," She raises an eyebrow and motions for me to go on. I turn to the side dramatically, "Does this make me look fat?" She didn't smile or laugh but I'm pretty sure I saw the corner of her mouth twitch, so I know she thought it was funny. _I still got it._

We find an empty row in the stands, and manage to claim it before the crowd filtered in. A snack vendor was walking up and down the sections advertising all sorts of snacks. _I'm starving!_ I motion for the vendor to come our way.

"Hey do you guys want any snacks for the show?" I ask as I motion for him to pass me two bags of gummies. "I'm not sharing, so you're going to have to get your own." He passes out our goodies.

"That will be 24 silver." He says. Zuko gives the guy a gold piece.

"Keep it." With a huge grin the vendor bows quickly and walks away.

The lights dim, indicating the show will start soon. I have a mouth full of hot and sweet fire gummies when Katara whispers in my ear. "So I noticed Toph was talking to you earlier. Is everything okay?" She asks. _Damn it…_

"Oh—she was just wondering if I would mind being some sort of secondary point of contact for her baby. That is if I do decide to go to Republic City."

Katara gasps. "Really?! She asked _you_?"

I give her a scorned look. "What's _that_ supposed to mean?"

Katara looks surprised and stammers for a second. "Oh- oh no-nothing. I meant that I'm surprised she would ask for help with her baby. I mean…I guess I don't think she really has a plan for working and having a sitter or something… I guess." She looks away, avoiding eye contact.

I raise my eyebrow and look at her face with curiosity. She seems like she's trying to avoid saying something. "Kataraaaa…"

"What? I'm just surprised to hear that she wouldn't ask _me_ to help her. Since Aang and I have a permanent home now, we won't be traveling as much. I'll be a little preoccupied with teaching Kya how to water bend, but aside from that, the kids will be in school…" She trails off, this time with her head down.

It dawns on me. I really don't know what to say. Katara is _jealous_?

"I'm sorry…I'm probably overreacting. I care a lot about Toph, especially in the predicament she's in. It may not seem it due to our past, but she's the closest person I have to a sister…"

I put my arm around Katara and rest my head on hers. "I'm sure she knows her putting a fourth kid in your hands would be a lot to handle. If you think about it— two babies within months of each other is almost quadrupled the work. Not to mention breastfeeding Tenzin and having to give ox-goat milk to Little Beifong. It's too much work Katara."

A frown tugs at the corners of Katara's mouth. "Yea, you're right. Well…if you ever need help, I'm here." She says weakly. I look at her and see tears pooling in her eyes.

"Oh no no no no, don't cry. Please, it's okay little sister." I beg

She smiles and wipes the tears away. "It's okay. It's just my hormones acting up. Post-partum does that." I rub her shoulders comfortingly.

We turn our attention to the stage and a few performers are juggling fire balls with jumper monkeys. Each act was more elaborate and daring than the one before as the show continued. Dare devil stunts, animal performances, jesters, and bending tricks were just a few of the performances. When we thought the last act couldn't get any better, several young girls came out and started climbing the tent structure. They blasted themselves into the air, tucking and spinning, and catching one another. A trapeze act! Just like Ty Lee does! _I wonder if she's in the act._

After a few minutes of the girls flying in the air, two men stretched out a catcher's net across the performance floor. The net seemed to be useless though—the rungs were too far apart for a proper catch. Before they left, to top it off, one of the men set it on fire!

The girls are swinging, throwing, and catching each other tirelessly. Each movement gathers more and more momentum, making their performance almost a blur. One girl landed on a spinning pole and calibrated herself to start catching the other girls. They formed a spinning human chain till they were weighted down and spinning dangerously close to the burning rope. _I really don't know how they're going to get out of this alive._ I'm biting my nails as they swing perilously close to the flames.

Without warning the main girl let's go of the pole. SHE. LETS. GO. The audience gasps, and I cover my eyes, trying to avoiding the inevitable disaster. I peak through my fingers and see all twelve girls standing IN the middle of the net! I take a closer look, and find that each girl is standing in between the rungs! _Oh Spirits…I thought they were done for._

The crowd goes wild, screaming, clapping and cheering. They all bow and wave at us, as the rest of the acts come back out and take a bow.

The cool evening air is refreshing, especially after the stuffy tent. The sun is setting over the mountain ridges; it's our cue to start making our way back to the palace.

Katara and I wait for the rest of the group to join us. Aang is carrying a sleeping Kya, with Bumi following next to him, holding Toph's hand. Zuko and Izumi come out together talking animatedly about the show.

"I think it just be time to head back home you guys." I say to them.

"Awwwww, already?" Izumi whines. "Can't we stay a little bit longer, Uncle Sokka?" She begs with puppy dog eyes.

"No honey, we need to go home and eat a proper dinner." Zuko says.

"But I'm not even hungry!" Bumi protests, with Izumi nodding in agreement.

"You guys…" Katara sighs, pulling on her face.

We make out of the carnival, walking back to the path to the main city. Walking through the streets, Izumi is distracted by one of the stores with animals. She darts inside, ripping from Zuko's firm grip. Zuko darts after her. We all follow suit, filing into the small shop, finding Izumi hovering over a wooden play pen. Small cat like creatures are mewling up at her. Izumi is reaching for a kitten, when Zuko rips her away from it.

"Izumi, just what do you think you're doing?" Zuko asks her harshly.

Izumi's face looks fearful and hesitant. "I-I wanted to see the Bearded Kittens." She says softly.

"Izumi, if you _want_ something, you _ask_. Do you understand me?" Zuko scolds her.

Izumi nods, her eyes are cast to the ground shamefully.

"Sweetheart," he says softly. "You cannot run off like that, okay? We're not in the palace. People are dangerous, and have false intentions. I couldn't handle it if anything bad happened to you. I love you very much." He cups the side of her face lovingly.

"I know Daddy, I'm sorry." She leans into his hand.

She stares over at the kittens once more. "Can I please look at the kittens?" She asks sweetly.

Zuko attempts to look away, but he can't say no to her when she's so acts so sweetly. _Like he always does_. He sighs in defeat, as she prances to the wooden play pen. She picks up a calico kitten and begins petting it.

"Isn't she cute Daddy?" She holds out the kitten proudly.

I see the dread creep over Zuko's face. He knows what's about to happen. I decide to add fuel to the fire and encourage Izumi.

"She's _adorable_ , Izumi." Zuko is giving me the death glare, but I don't care, goading him is worth it.

"I've never seen some of these animals before. Have any of you guys?" Aang asks walking around observing some animals.

"Nope!" Toph says. We all chuckle at her comment. 'Cause, ya know, she can't _see_.

"Daddy, can I have a bearded kitten?" Izumi pleads. Zuko grimaces and looks at me.

"Look what you've done…" He groans, and I can't help but laugh at him.

"Please Daddy? Can I have her?" Izumi keeps begging. An elderly woman appears from the back of the shop and see's Izumi holding the tiny creature. She walks over to Zuko and starts a whispered conversation.

I start pulling things off the shelf that Izumi's new kitten may need. There's no way Zuko is going to deny her.

"What are you going to name her?" Bumi asks Izumi.

"I don't know. Do you have any ideas?" She replies.

I take a look at the kitten—she's white with black ad orange patterns. Her eyes are an emerald green. "How about Emi?" I suggest.

"Why Emi?" Bumi asks me.

"Well, her eyes are green like an emeralds. Emerald, Emi, get it?" _Still got it._

"Emi…I like that name!" Izumi hugs the kitten and cuddles her. "Do you like that name, Emi?" She asks the purring cat. She runs over to Zuko, who's signing some documents to finalize the purchase. "Daddy this is Emi!" Izumi presents her new furry friend in Zuko's face.

He leans back for a second and smiles. "Emi. Like Emerald?" He asks, petting the kittens head.

"Uh huh! Uncle Sokka named her! Her eyes are deep green!"

"Of course he did," He mumbles. Raising an eyebrow and looking over at me. Was he not impressed? I thought it was a good name.

"Now, there are just a few things you need to keep in mind." The elderly woman says in a cautious tone. Zuko and Izumi give her their attention.

"Bearded Kittens are a unique breed of cat. They have Komodo dragon like characteristics. Some bearded cats are known for spitting sparks when they hiss, develop talon like claws, and are able to breathe small flames when they feel threatened. You must be very careful when handling them. They need to be trained very diligently. As they grow, their top coat of fur becomes very thick and coarse and is naturally flame retardant."

 _Whoa_. This thing is something fierce. Izumi could barely contain herself from jumping out of pure joy and excitement. Zuko on the other hand, looked distraught. He had never had a pet before.

The woman went on about a breaded cat's diet. Emi would be eating primarily meat. So she may hunt around the palace and eat up elephant rats and similar small type of creatures. Hopefully Emi won't have a taste in turtleducks…

Toph insists on buying Izumi supplies for her new friend. She drops a heavy purse of coins next to the pile of stuff I've gathered on the counter. She mentioned that she would also buy a cage of live food for Emi as well, snickering as Zuko gulps audibly.

We make our way to the grand walkway to the main city, Tenzin strapped back to Katara's chest. There were litters employed to carry officials back to the city, and we all look at our rounded bellied Toph and Katara with the baby. She protested as I pushed her toward them. Toph on the other hand made way to take her seat. The men snapped to attention and prepared to take her up.

"No buts, we'll see you up there." I toss a gold coin to the lead bearer and he gives me a short bow. "See I already paid. You've done enough walking today." I offer my hand to help her take her seat and she gives me a sincere thank you.

The guards are expecting us as we walk up to the gate; Katara and Toph waiting with them. Katara leans in and whispers to Zuko that the party is ready. I hope Izumi isn't too tired, she's about to get the surprise of her life.

 **Zuko**

We dragged our feet up the stairs to the main entrance, tired and sore. _My feet haven't been this sore in a long time_. The guards pull the heavy doors open for us, and I see Uncle walking up to greet us.

"Ah, there you are. I've been waiting anxiously all day for you to come home." He says. Izumi went bolting after him with Emi in hand. She starts babbling a mile a minute about her day. Uncle listens attentively, smiling at her, nodding at all the right moments, and is impressed with her retelling of the day.

"It sounds like you had _quite_ the birthday Princess." He kisses the top of her head.

"You can say that again." I respond, exhausted.

Uncle chuckles and takes Izumi's hand. "Well, if you are all ready, we have dinner waiting." He says, winking at me.

Uncle leads Izumi to the dining hall, in front of the group. Izumi was made to stop for a moment and shut her eyes. She closes her eyes tightly and Uncle spins her around. He stops her in front of the dining room doors, and gently pushes her to walk through to the room. 

The ball room is crowded with children, their parents, and decorations. They're all still and quiet, eager to shout 'surprise'.

Uncle leans in Izumi's ear and whispers to her to open her eyes. Everyone claps and screams as she opens her eyes. Izumi gasps and turns to us with an ear to ear smile. "This is for _me?_ " She asks, hiding her face behind Emi. Uncle guides her over to her friends in the center of the ballroom floor. Several of Izumi's friends come up to wish her a happy birthday and pet Emi.

Uncle had really outdone himself—he had the entire room decorated in lanterns, paper fans, streamers, tables for the kids to eat, some sort of puppet show, a crafting table and a wide spread of food for the children to enjoy.

The parents had their own nook just outside the ballroom, and access to the balcony. There were elegant finger foods, sake, and more sushi than we could probably eat.

I find a seat so I can relax. I _should_ be talking to the parents, but quite frankly I'm too exhausted to entertain them. A few political members stop by to say hello and compliment how well behaved Izumi is and that she will be a wonderful Ruler one day. Which reminds me—before tonight ends, Izumi and I have to make a brief visit elsewhere.

Hours creep by, I'm so tired; desperately trying to stake awake. I see Sokka looking around; trying to find me I suppose. I call out to him and he tries to make his way over to me. He's trying his best to get through the crowd, so I decide to get up and meet him halfway.

"Hey! Have you been sitting this entire time?" We turn and walk out onto the balcony.

"Yea. I'm pretty exhausted…" I say almost softly. I feel my eyes getting heavy and yawn into the back of my hand.

"I don't blame you. After today, I bet you don't want to be entertaining all those people in there."

"You are correct my friend." I lean against the railing and look up at the night sky. It's beautiful out.

"Well, I have some news to share with you." Sokka says enthusiastically.

I motion for him to post up next to me. He smiles at me, and perches swinging his feet whimsically.

"Well?" I ask. "Are you going to tell me or not?" I lean my head so it's rested on his shoulder. I wish it could always be like this.

"Geez, so impatient! Can't I take my time and enjoy your company? I've been deprived of your presence for a whole day." He replies, tugging my high not playfully.

I lean by head back to look at him and bat my eyelashes at him. "What it your news Sokka?" I ask nicely.

Sokka smiles and rolls his eyes. "So, I've been talking to Aang and a few of the other councilmen who will be at Republic City. They've told me that I've been voted as the City's Head Councilman by the vote of the Earth Kingdom! They all really want me to represent the city and take on propositions concerning development. As well as court cases and what not, blah blah blah." He waves his hand. "Isn't that exciting?!"

Shock hits me full force, I hope it doesn't show on my face. I honestly don't know how to feel. I'm happy for Sokka—making Head Councilman is leaps and bounds ahead of his position here. At the same time, he'll be leaving to live in Republic City. He'll be leaving me.

I realize I've been quiet for a little too long, as Sokka's reaction is softening. "Are you okay? I thought you'd be happy for me?" He squeezes my shoulder to comfort me.

"No, no I mean— _yes_ I'm happy for you. I'm _very_ happy for you; proud even! It's just a bit of a shock." I turn around and grab his hands in mine. "It's a huge promotion. You deserve it. I-I guess…I'm caught up in my selfish emotions…I don't mean…I don't know." I drop his hands shamefully. "We should be celebrating." A weak smile is all I can muster in the way of happiness.

Sokka looks at me with some understanding. He appears to be as though he needs to say something, but he strokes the side of my face instead. "Obviously we need to talk about this more in depth." He whispers. "About more than just the promotion."

"Yes, we do." I reply gently. I want to kiss him, right now.

The lights slowly start dim in the ballroom. I think this is my cue to find the birthday girl and sing her happy birthday.

Sokka and I make our way inside to the center of the room where we spot Izumi with Uncle. Emi climbs out of Izumi's arms and sits proudly on her shoulder.

A large cart wheels into the room with a 3 tiered cake on it. Sparklers are glittering brightly atop the cake, illuminating intricately frosted sides.

We sing happy birthday cheerfully. Izumi covers her smile with her hands and tries to shy away from the attention. She's giddy and doesn't know what to do with herself.

As we finish singing, they roll the cake in front of her. She pulls herself up against the table to take a closer look at the sparklers and frosting. Emi begins batting at the sparks flying off with her tiny paw.

"Make a wish sweetheart," I tell Izumi.

She takes a long hard look at her small fireworks before taking a deep breath, blowing them out with all her might. They extinguish immediately, smoke swirls into the room brightens up again, and everyone is clapping.

"Thank you to everyone." She starts in a small voice as the clapping fades.

"Speak up honey." I place a hand on her back encouragingly, and she nods with a smile. Emi jumps off and rubs her head against Izumi's leg lovingly.

"I didn't know there was a party waiting for me. It was a very nice surprise! Great Uncle, thank you much for doing this. I love you very much. Daddy, thank you for spending the day with me. Uncle Sokka, Uncle Aang, Auntie Katara, Auntie Toph—Kya, Bumi…You staying here is the best birthday present I could ever wish for. Thank you everyone for being here to celebrate my birthday." She bows deeply.

Emi meows loudly. "Hehehe, I'm glad to have you here with me too Emmi." She says giggling. Several people laugh at the kitten's attention.

As we pass out slices of cake, Izumi opens her presents. She is sure to express her thanks after each gift. Observing Izumi being so grateful and humble give me comfort. I think in a few years Izumi will be ready to observe my duties, and start preparing to take over for me. Proper training to become the Fire Lord should start at a young age.

Finally the night came to a closing. Sokka and I help Izumi carry her gifts back to her room. The three of us remanence about the day, laughing and smiling.

"Daddy? Can we go see Mommy now?" Her face is tired and there are bags under her eyes. She looked determined though.

"Yes sweetheart…Come on." I reach my hand out for her.

Sokka stands there awkwardly, before Izumi asks him to join us. The halls to the garden are quiet at this time of night, Emi trotting behind us on silent paws. Through the garden and up a small hill there is a shrine. She grabs a tiger lily before paying her respects to her mother.

Reaching the top of the steps, Izumi stops at the entrance before entering. She takes a slow deep breath and steps inside. She shoots small flames to the oil lamps. We each grab and light an incent and gently lay it on the black slate in front of Mai's engraved memorial stone. A framed painting of Mai rested just to the side of her marker. Izumi bows very deeply before sitting on her knees.

She's quiet for a moment—maybe praying. Then I hear her soft voice break the silence. She's talking to Mai's photo about her birthday. Laying the tiger lily down, she speaks about the carnival we saw, the games we played, prizes we won, and her new furry friend Emi. Izumi continues talking about the week she's had with Bumi and Kya, as well as the birth of Tenzin. Every word tugs at my heart. Izumi never got the chance to know her mother, and yet she's carrying on a conversation as if she sees her every day.

It's quiet once again. I hear her sniffle and hear her voice crack as she tries to speak again. She takes a second to clear her throat before speaking again. "I…I'm sorry you're not here. I feel…it's my fault that you're not…But Daddy tells me it's not because of me. I believe him but…I still feel like it is. I-it's hard without you…I hope you're happy and your spirit is watching over us. I promise to talk to you more; not only my birthday or yours. I love you."

She leans over to Mai's picture and gives it a kiss. She stands up and bows once more before leaving. She walks to the pond and sits under the tree, staring at the moon reflecting off the water.

I have no words. I turn back to Mai's head stone and pay my respects. I feel guilty for wanting to move on with my life. I feel as if I betrayed Mai in a way, though she's not here. I pray for her forgiveness and acceptance. I swallow the lump in my throat. I stare at Mai's eyes and feel as if she's looking through me. I turn to Sokka, who is watching me carefully.

"I'm going to take Izumi to bed. I'll look for you later." I say to him, my throat feels raw. He nods his understanding.

I reach the low hanging tree and sit beside Izumi. We're both quiet for a while. I look around, twirling my thumbs; I clear my throat to get her attention. "Sweetheart?" She doesn't move—her gaze is fixated on the water. I move closer to her, placing my hand on her shoulder. "Izumi? Honey? Do you want to—"

She shoves her face into my chest and begins weeping. Her body is wracked with sobs. I pull her into me, rocking her back and forth. I pet her long black hair and shush her softly. _I hate this. No child should have to feel this way._ I'm doing the best I can not to cry alongside her. I need to be strong for her.

Izumi's stopped crying, and she lays in my arms, sniffing, and rubbing at her eyes. She is exhausted and her eyes are fighting to stay open.

I kiss her forehead; I need to get her back to bed. She's asleep before we get to her room, and I gently lay her in bed, pull off her shoes, and pull her blankets over her. Emi claws her way up on Izumi's bed, and nestles herself next to her head. I sit and watch her for a moment. Izumi is the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. _I love her so much…I don't know what I'd do if I didn't have her._ I kiss Izumi one last time and whisper to her, "Happy Birthday Princess…I love you very much. Sweet dreams."

 **Sokka**

Seeing Izumi blaming herself for her mom's death was heart breaking. Zuko looked like he didn't know what to do or what to say. He was obviously reliving all painful memories attached to Mai's death.

The morning of the funeral, Zuko spent hours with Mai. Talking to her; apologizing. He blamed himself for her death. We all tried telling him that it was out of his control. He didn't seem to care. General Iroh and I had to physically pull him away from Mai, so she could be ready for the ceremony. He fought us and I almost got burnt, luckily General Iroh was there to get him under control.

When the ceremony commenced General Iroh made sure he was seated next to Zuko in case couldn't hold it together. Dark smoke snaked up from his clenched fists, it was a poor attempt to keep his anger in check. Eventually he shut down. He was quiet for weeks, only focusing on paperwork and never speaking during meetings. He even refused to care for Izumi at times. I don't think he had resentment towards his infant child, but there was something that held him back from doing his fatherly duties. Eventually, he came around and they've been inseparable ever since.

My heart aches for the both of them…

I honor Mai and make my way back to the palace. I glance over to Zuko and Izumi and feel conflicted. Should I go to them with comforting words and embraces? _I probably shouldn't…this is something they need to get through together…without me._

I don't want to dwell on the sad scene, especially when I can't do anything to help. I need to do something before I start thinking about my own mother. Katara and Aang are leaving early tomorrow morning to go back home in the South Pole. Dad was probably anxious to meet Tenzin. I could occupy my mind by writing him a letter; it's been a while since I've done that. I should visit soon.

I hunt down Dezrah to ask about Tenzin's birth certificates and dual citizenship paper work. I want to make sure it's finalized before they leave in the morning. After wandering around the palace checking all of Dezrah's normal haunts, I manage to find him on his way to the staff quarters.

"Excuse me, Dezrah?" I call to him

He turns around and bows deeply. "Yes, Ambassador?"

"Has Tenzin's paperwork been finalized yet?"

"Ah! Yes, they just need to be officiated by the Fire Lord."

"Thank you Dezrah." After a quick bow, I turn on my heel and head off to find Zuko. I'm headed to Izumi's room, but I don't know if I should knock and walk in, wait, or go to Zuko's room to see if he's there. Maybe I should wait in my room and let him come to me in his own time. I slow down until I've made a complete stop in the hallway. _Damn it_.

 _To my room I go I guess…_

I turn around and head towards my room. It's best if I don't force my company on him, especially tonight.

Halfway to my room, dragging my feet and feeling a little dejected, I bump into someone. I look up and I see I've run into General Iroh.

"Oh! I'm sorry General! I didn't see you were there." I apologize bowing deeply.

He chuckles and waves his had dismissively. "It is quite alright. Please, I've asked you to call me Iroh. Or Uncle. Whichever one you prefer. General is a title I retired a long, long time ago."

I give Iroh a half smile. I should probably honor his request to refer to him less formally, but it will take some work. It had been instilled in me as a young boy to refer to a worrier by their proper title. They had earned it after all, retired or not.

"Sorry Iroh."

"There. See that wasn't so bad? Now, what are you doing wandering around the palace?"

"Oh—I was just heading to my room. I _was_ going to see Zuko and Izumi, but I decided not to."

"Why is that?"

"Well…Izumi was pretty upset after visiting her Mom, and Zuko was comforting her. I didn't want to intrude on a personal family matter…"

Iroh places his hand on my shoulder and takes a deep sigh. "Well, yes, I can understand that. However Sokka, you must know that you have become part of our family—especially to Zuko. You're unconditional love for my nephew and great niece is more than I could wish for. Zuko is grateful your loyalty and genuine concern for his daughter's wellbeing. Do not feel you're intruding; you belong with us."

I feel a smile tug on my lips at Iroh's words of assurance. I still feel I had made the right call tonight though.

"Thank you Iroh. It means a lot. I don't want to keep you any longer from what you were doing, I should get back to my room."

Iroh chuckles once more and rubs his belly. "Oh, don't mind me. I was headed to the kitchen to make some tea and eat a few pastries!" He smacks the side of his round belly jovially.

I laugh and bid him goodnight.

As soon as I'm through the doors I walk straight to the bathroom. After a today, I needed a shower. I walk past my bedroom and something catches my attention. Candles are lit and there's a dark figure sitting on the edge of the bed.

"Hey…" says a familiar, deep and raspy voice. _Zuko_. My heart skips a beat.

Zuko's eyes follow me as I walk to the bed, sidling up next to him. I reach for his hand and squeeze it gently.

Zuko sighs heavily and rests his head on my shoulder. I can feel the dreadful emotions rolling off him in waves. He's tired, full of sorrow, and is in desperate need of comfort.

"Are you okay?" I ask him, in a gentle tone.

Zuko sighs once more. "No…Not really."

"Is there anything I can do to help?"

Zuko shrugs and remains quiet.

"You want to take a shower with me? Maybe that will help you feel better." I suggest.

He nods and stands up with me. I turn on the hot water turn back to Zuko. He's sitting on the edge of the bath tub, staring at the floor. I squat down in front of him and grab his hands in mine, kissing his knuckles softly. His mood is making me feel helpless—he won't look at me.

"Are you sure you want to be here?" I squeeze his hands reassuringly. He looks up, and the pain clouding his eyes fades and is replaces by a fierce predatory glint. I gulp.

He stands and takes off his pants. I undress myself quickly. Zuko looks over me slowly and licks his lips. The corners of his mouth perk up slightly. He trails a finger down my bare chest, and grabs my hip with his free hand. My heart feels like it's going to jump out of my chest.

I can't look away from Zuko. His body is perfect. His arms are corded with muscle; the way his biceps flex as he pulls my body to his. Zuko's shoulders are broad and intimidating. _Spirits he's going to be the end of me_.

I lick my lips before looking away.

Zuko rest his forehead in the crook of my neck. His warm breath flows down my back and ignites my senses. He's making my knees weak.

I loop my arms around his neck and kiss him carefully, slowly. I feel growl rumble in Zuko's chest as he kisses me back—harder. Passionately.

Zuko bites my lower lip, tugging on it as he finishes kissing me. I touch my tingling lips and lick the side of my mouth.

Smiling, Zuko pulls away and leads me into the shower. Steam surrounds us as we step into the hot water. I reach out and undo the perfectly looped top knot Zuko always has his hair done up in. I toss the ribbon aside; his hair falls beautifully. Water cascades over Zuko, and he tips his head back to run his hands through his wet mane. He takes a step forward and pulls my wolf tail down. The elastic snaps itself in place on his wrist. I'm pulled under the water with him and his hands are all over me.

I have to control myself while I wash him. I keep remembering my fantasy, it was so close to this, and it gets more difficult as I work the loofa further and further down his sculpted body. I try to recite plans and schedules to distract my running imagination, but I can't stop my erection from poking him.

Our shower was a silent affair. I didn't mind. Our gentle caresses conveyed the feelings we couldn't put into words.

I turn off the shower and step out to grab another towel for Zuko. He is a bit particular with the way he dries himself. He stands just outside of the shower, bent over with his hair thrown forward. The water drips rapidly from the ends of his black locks. He wrings his hair tightly. He tightly slides his hand over his body to rid any water that stuck to him. By the time he is patting himself down, my breathing has gotten heavy. How could drying off be so sensual?

I need to get out of the bathroom before I bend him over the counter. I head to my bed and flop in it, face first. _Ahhhh…comfy bed, so, so nice._ I turn to my side, to see Zuko walking in with a towel twisted on his head, and another tied around his waist.

"What the hell is that on your head?" I ask him.

"What? It helps keep my hair up." He says defensively.

I poke fun at him a bit. "Yea, that's what my _sister_ does."

Zuko squints at me with a frown and rips his towel down. "Are you implying that I'm a _girl_."

"Well, _you_ said it, not me." I joke.

Zuko throws the towel at my face and walks back into the bathroom.

"Hahaha, hey I'm just kidding!" I yell out to him.

Zuko walks back out brushing his hair with one of my combs. With his other hand he runs his fingers through it, steam rises as it dries.

After he's done with his hair, he glares at me. "Is this better?" He sticks his tongue out at me playfully.

I shrug and smile at him. Zuko rolls his eyes annoyed, setting my comb down on top of one of my dressers.

He carefully lays himself on my bed, scooting to my side. He has to keep adjusting himself to get comfortable; his loose hair keeps getting in the way. He grunts in irritation and sits up. He uses my elastic band from his wrist to thrown up his hair in a messy bun.

 _He gets flustered so easily_. He lays back down and looks at me.

"What are you looking at?" He asks curiously after studying me intensely.

I smile and tuck a stay hair behind his ear. "You." I reply.

Zuko smiles and breaks eye contact briefly. It's cute to see how shy he can be.

My mind captures his image in this moment, I don't think I'll ever forget it. "So…how are you feeling?" I ask.

"I feel better. You always make me feel better." He says softly.

"I'm glad I can help," I say, a light warm feeling overcomes me. "I wanted to see you earlier, but I didn't want to intrude on you and Izumi."

Zuko's eyebrows furrow. "What do you mean?"

"Well…you and Izumi needed some time alone to mourn Mai. I didn't want to interrupt that. Bonding between a father and daughter shouldn't be interrupted. At least, that's how I see it…"

Zuko looks taken aback. "Sokka, I know you mean well, but don't feel like you're crossing boundaries when it comes to family. You mean the world to Izumi and to me as well. You wouldn't have been disrupting us if you had joined us."

"Well…I have my reservations when it comes to those things." I thought back to when my dad and I would spend time together. We would go fishing or hunting, and somehow, some way, someone else would run into us and join in. It always irritated me. Especially after the war. I couldn't get a day to myself with him.

"Hmmm…if you say so. But, I'm just letting you know—you're always welcome." Zuko taps my nose lightly and smiles.

I don't say anything back. It's nice to get reassurance that I belong with them, and I revel in the warm feeling it sparks in me.

I belong with them…the warm feeling turns into a pit in my stomach. Zuko and I needed to talk about my promotion, and the fact that I'll be moving.

"We should probably discuss my promotion." I didn't want to kill his mood; however, I need to get a few things off my chest.

Zuko props himself up under his arm, having a direct view over me. "Okay. What should we address first?"

"That's a good question…Where to begin?" I ponder the topic for a moment before blabbing aimlessly.

"Well—I guess the first thing is, I'm a _Chairman_! In a brand spankin' new city! How awesome is that?" I gesture excitedly.

"It's very awesome. I'm happy for you. Being a Chairman is going to bring forth a lot more responsibility. Maintaining the welfare of Republic City and dong what's best for the citizens. They couldn't have picked a better person for the job."

"It's a huge step, and I'm still surprised I've made such an impression to the Earth King and his nation—and to my tribe as well. Being nominated like that with just a few years of experience. It's something that takes other a life time to achieve. I feel a little undeserving."

"Are you ready?"

I hesitate to answer. I mean, _yeah_ I'm ready. On the other hand I'm terrified that I'll mess up everything. I would never be able to live down the shame, after everyone put so much trust and faith in me.

"Yeah. I mean, I'll learn as I go. It won't just be me either. I think I'm going to benefit a lot from this new experience."

"Good…good." Zuko trails off. He looks away and messes with his fingers.

"What's on your mind?" I ask.

"Oh I-I dunno. I uhh…I'm just going to miss you is all. It's going to be different once you're gone."

"I know. It's going to be weird for me too. We'll manage something to make this work." _This…what is this. We still haven't defined our relationship._

Zuko's thoughts take the same turn as mine. "Well, what is… _this_?" He waves his hand back and forth between us.

"Well," I start hesitantly. "We've had sex. We agree that means something. I think that this…is the beginning of discovering ourselves. Uhh…I can say that I have an attraction to you that goes beyond being physical, and…" I don't know what else to say. I don't want to jump ahead and say something I'm not sure of. It's impossible to take something back once it's been said.

"And?" Zuko questions, urging me to continue.

"And I want to see where this goes. You know—before we make a serious commitment and dedicate ourselves to each other till our dying breath, I want to start slow." _There! I've said it._

I see a smile taking over Zuko's face. His expression suggests he's on the border of disbelief. He doesn't say anything at first. He's more than likely trying to find the right words.

"Well I," he clears his throat. "I'm happy to hear that. It just so happens that I feel the same way. I'm eager to see where this leads us." His tone is slightly guarded, but it makes sense. We've only taken a small step to clear of the ambiguity our situation, we aren't out of the woods yet.

"You don't say?" I smirk. "I guess that covers the important stuff."

"Hold on now—there's still the matter of you _moving_ from the palace and into Republic City."

Damn, definitely still in the woods. "I figured we could talk about that later, since I won't be moving there until the proposal is finalized."

"Sokka, that's in a few _weeks_! We have to find an apartment for you, have to ship your belongings there, hire people to deliver and assemble everything, purchase furniture—not to mention we'll hire you your own assistant! There's a lot to do here Sokka."

I groan. He's right, there's a lot that needs to be done in a short period of time. I also know that short deadlines make Zuko a little crazy, not that I would ever tell him that. I can just imagine the nagging and grief he's going to put me through. Just like Katara when we were growing up.

I'm on my back now and have my arm covering my eyes; trying to hide from adulthood and responsibilities. "I'll deal with it as soon as we get confirmation on declaration of United Republic. It's going to take several weeks to nominate the rest of the Chairmen anyways."

I can feel Zuko glaring at me—annoyed with my procrastination. I know he's going to arrange nearly half, if not _everything_ , for me.

Zuko pulls my arm away from my face and hoovers over me. "Now that _that's_ settled for the most part, how about we fool around before I head to my own bed?" He licks and bites his lower lip, caressing my hip. I'm instantly turned on. I should relieve the tension that's been building all day.

I reach across my other hip, and rip away the towel.

"Well I'm naked, aren't I?"

Without hesitation, I feel Zuko's warm wet mouth wrapped around my erect cock. This was something I could get used to.


	4. Chapter 4

**Zuko**

I wish I could've spent the night with Sokka, but we both knew it wasn't feasible. The fooling around we did left me more frustrated than satisfied. When returned to my room, the posted guard outside looked wearily at me. I glared, indicating for him to not speak about my 'walk of shame' to another soul. Last thing I needed were rumors spreading amongst my staff of my late night travels.

Today everyone would take their leave and start their travel back home. Katara, Aang, and the kids were traveling back to the Southern Water Tribe before officially moving to The United Republic. Chief Hakoda undoubtedly wanted to see his new grandson, and it was my understanding that they hadn't been back to Katara's home in quite some time.

Just as I finished pulling on the last of my robes, Dezrah came into my room, documents in hand for me to sign. They were Tenzin's birth certificates. I was required to officiate them with the royal seal—gold ink stamped with my title onto the red wax seal. These documents were proof that a child of unroyal blood was born in the palace. He would be a citizen of the Fire Nation if he chose it.

Once the seals dried, I motioned for Dezrah to follow me to my office. There was a special portfolio I wanted the documents placed in. I kept it in my desk, tucked away toward the back. It belonged to my mother; a red leather bound booklet with a gold clasp. On the front cover was a deep pressed brand, a silhouette of two dancing cranes. I carefully placed the paper inside, careful not to bend it. After locking the clasp, Dezrah accepts it back, tucking it into his robes for safe keeping. He bustles away after a deep bow.

Izumi should be awake by now. I don't think she would want to miss the last few hours she'll be able to spend with her cousins. Who knows when we'll be able to see them again? _Soon, I hope_. I found her eating breakfast with them, huddled together and giggling over their food.

Katara and Aang sat on either side of Sokka. Aang was talking animated about their move to United Republic, and how excited they were that Sokka would be there as well. Katara looked exhausted, the trip had been eventful for her. I didn't envy their long trip back to the Southern Water Tribe.

"Morning guys." I take a seat next to Aang, leaning forward to give Katara and Sokka a small smile. "Are you all packed up for your trip?"

Aang nods. "We're all set! We're just waiting for Appa to get saddled."

"Do you need anything for your trip? You have enough supplies?"

"We can't bring too much with us; Appa would be weighed down for the trip."

Appa was a gigantic beast, and I would think he could carry three, four, or maybe even five times his weight. That was not the case, and I was always a little puzzled by it.

Aang and I discussed moving arrangements for Sokka. Sokka was too busy teasing his sister to be a part of our conversation. He probably would have made a point to ignore us even if he had known we were discussing his move. I knew he wouldn't handle it till the very last minute. For all the lists and schedules he makes he's a horrible procrastinator when it comes to his personal affairs. Aang and I agreed that  
he would look for a decently sized apartment, close to the courthouse, after he and his family were settled in.

Dezrah enters silently and has to cough to get our attention. "Please forgive me for interrupting, Fire Lord. Avatar Aang, your bison is in the main yard, saddled, and all of your belongings have been loaded."

Aang springs up and announced to his children that it is time to go. He hugs Dezrah tightly, lifting him a few inches from the ground. Dezrah attempts to look appreciative of the attention, but I can see he Aang is crushing the poor slight man.

"I hope you had a good time, I was glad to see you and your family." I extend my hand to Aang, but he pulls me into a hug instead. I gasp as the air is forced out of my lungs, and my back cracks. Poor Dezrah, he handled it better than I thought.

"I had a GREAT time!" Bumi shouts, pulling Izumi to his side.

" _WE_!" Kya corrects her brother, also throwing and arm around Izumi.

"Yes, _we_ most certainly enjoyed ourselves. Thank you so much Zuko—for everything." Katara hugs me after Aang, but nowhere near as forcefully. It was a much more pleasant exchange.

I give her a small smile. "You're welcome. Anything for family." 

Sokka loops his arms with hers and drags her off toward Appa. He hands her a small scroll, and whispers something to her. She looks down at it curiously and pockets it. "Now don't get any ideas, that's for Dad. Not you." I hear him say as they move back to the group.

"Come on Sokka, I'm not that nosey." She rolls her eyes at him and crosses her arms.

He mumbles something that sounds close to "yes you are" but takes it back as soon as he sees Katara's eye start twitching.

Footsteps catch my attention, and I turn to see Toph and Uncle walking arm-in-arm. I realize I hadn't seen them at breakfast, which was odd. Uncle always liked to have his morning tea, and Toph never missed a chance to eat.

"There you two are!" Sokka puts his hands on his hips. "Did you not read today's schedule Toph? I had it delivered to your room…" He trails off realizing his mistake. "I thought you would be at breakfast, you never skip a meal."

"Chief Beifong and I went for a stroll around the palace after having tea and breakfast. It was much too early for everyone to be awake. However, we would not miss saying our good byes." Uncle smiles fondly. "It might be a great while before I get to see the Avatar and his family again." He has been a member of the White Lotus since before I was born, although I had not found out till I was 16. Members of the White Lotus were sworn to protect and aid the Avatar however they could.

Toph slips her arm from Uncle's and hugs Katara, whispering something in her ear. Uncle grabs the sides of Aang's arms and wishes him safe travels before embracing him. I snap my fingers, remember the birth certificate. I motion Dezrah over, requesting the papers be presented to Aang. He produces the leather binder from his robes.

"Avatar, these papers have been signed by Fire Lord Zuko for your newborn child." He goes on to explain their importance, emphasizing how few people are awarded such an honor. It had been quite some time since someone outside the Royal Family had been born inside the Palace. The speech sounded a little pompous, but it got the point across. Aang and Katara seemed appreciative at least.

The children are still holding hands after farewells have been exchanged, refusing to let go until the very last second. "Izumi dear, it's time for them to leave." I motion for her to join me at my side.

With her most adorable pouty face, she shakes her head. "I don't _want_ them to go! It'll be forever until I see them again!"

I raise an eyebrow at her attitude, and reluctantly she releases their hands to take mine instead. Sulking beside me, she waves at them as they climb onto the saddle. With a snap of the harness and a 'yip yip', they were off to the Southern Water Tribe.

Sokka swooped up Izumi, and they both waved till Appa was too high up for them to be seen. Their arms fell to their sides pathetically. It pains me to see them so sad, and I feel a twinge of regret as the loss of our companions sinks in.

"Are you leaving right now too Auntie Toph?" Izumi says in a small voice.

"No, not right now kiddo. I'm leaving tonight, that way I can sleep."

"Is the baby going to sleep too?" Izumi places her cheek on Toph's belly, as if to see if the baby is sleeping right now.

Toph chuckles, "I sure hope so."

I leave Izumi and Toph to talk more about the baby and go whisper a good morning to Uncle.

"Ah, good morning Nephew! It's such a beautiful day today. It should be a very smooth journey for the Avatar and his family."

"Yes, yes it should be. Did you enjoy your walk with Toph this morning?"

"I did. We circled around the palace a _few_ times. We got carried away in conversation. Such an interesting young lady Chief Beifong is…"

"What did you two talk about?" I have my suspicions that they were gossiping like old women about things that were better left alone. A stern look from Uncle makes me gulp. "I-if you don't mind me asking…" I add quickly.

Uncle glances at Toph, walking by Sokka's side. "Oh, nothing. Just… _comparing_ notes." He says casually. 

" _Notes_ huh? About?"

"Notes about a great alliance between the nations, but it's a bit early to say for sure if it will come to be, Nephew." He looks at my coyly.

"There are plenty of alliances Uncle, I don't know what good one more will do." 

With amused expression, Uncle smiles to himself.

 **Sokka**

It was hard seeing Katara leave, especially when I was just getting used to having her around. The pain of seeing her go was ebbed by the knowledge that we'd be seeing each other a lot more often once I moved to Republic City. The letter I asked her to deliver to Father asked him to join her in the city on their trip back. Maybe he would be free to do so, and we would all be together for the first time in what seemed like forever.

I had rewritten the letter several letters before I was happy. More than once I had crumpled up paper and tossed in the waste bin. I wanted to confide in him, but his possible reaction to my interest in a man kept me from relating my true feelings. It wasn't common for men to be together in my culture, at least not that I had ever heard of. In the end, I had asked him for advice on my feelings as vaguely as possible. That was the main reason I'd wanted to make sure Katara didn't stick her nose in it. I didn't want her to suspect anything.

Toph was still going to be here for a few more hours though, and I suggested that we go down to one of the lower level rooms where we kept all of Izumi's baby things. Izumi wanted to go with us, but Iroh suggested that she practice her fire bending forms with him. She looked a little disappointed, but with a nod from her father, she padded off after her uncle. 

"Here we are," I said, swinging open the door. Zuko made quick work of lighting the torches along the wall.

"Wow, is this room big enough?" Toph exclaims, her bare feet giving her the layout. It was easily twice the size of any of the royal suites.

"Yea…Mai and I got a little carried away when planning the nursery together…" I say, rubbing the back of my neck.

"Wait a sec— _Sokka_? _You_ and Mai planned the nursery?" Her laugh grates against my nerves.

"Yeah! What about it?" I snap, my arms crossed over my chest. I hear Zuko snickering behind me. I turn to glare at him. Zuko immediately straightens up and coughs behind his hand. "Since Zuko was too busy with work, I helped Mai. Is that such a bad thing?"

Toph collects herself. "I'm sorry, really. It's not a bad thing, I'm sure you did a wonderful job."

Irritated, I roll my eyes. After a while of talking about the different things she will need and what I think she should take, my irritation is all but forgotten. I'm in planning mode. Toph didn't have much of an opinion on anything. Although she could make out the shape of the furniture, the colors were beyond her. The idea of having a theme for a baby room, she said, was stupid. She wasn't going to see it, and her baby was going to be too young for it to matter. I scoffed, of course the baby's room need to have a theme.

After marking all the things that I deemed necessary for her nursery, I wondered if her living quarters in Republic City were going to have enough space for it all. I assured her that she needed all the dressers, the crib, the changing table, the rocking chair, and the bassinet even if she wasn't going to have a theme. She might not have needed the couch, wooden toy chest, bookshelf, and chest of drawers, but I marked them anyway. She would thank me later when all the toys and baby stuff piled up.

I must have gotten carried away because Zuko and Toph were both sitting down and obviously bored.

"Sorry guys that should be everything."

Toph takes a deep breath. "Well! Now that's settled, let's talk about my favorite couple!" She shouts, gleefully rubbing her hands together turning her head between myself and Zuko.

Zuko's head snaps in her direction like a whip. "Would you _shut up_? There are other people in this part of the palace you know?" He hisses.

"What do you mean _couple_?!" I yell.

Now Zuko's attention is on me, telling me to shut my mouth.

I throw my arms above my head in frustration. "Oh, I'm sorry! How else am I supposed to react when she says shit like that out of nowhere?"

Before Zuko can respond, Toph steps in. "Girls, girls, girls. Calm down. I'm only teasing you two. Relax. I didn't know this was such a sensitive topic for you ladies."

"Oh really? You didn't think our personal lives would be a sensitive topic?" I place my hands on my hips and begin brooding.

"Sokka please—" Zuko says shortly. Toph puts up her hand, indicating that she would handle it.

"Listen up Snoozles. I'm just trying to see how you two are going to work things out. You're moving soon, remember? So excuse me if I'm being insensitive for making sure you're going to be okay." She says icily.

She was being too nosy for my liking, but she did have a point. I had thought about the move but only briefly. It was overwhelming, and I kept pushing off talking about it with Zuko. Out of sight out of mind.

"I think we're going to be just fine." Zuko breaks the silence. "It will be difficult to see him leave. However, I know it's in the best interest of the United Republic. It's something we've all been working so hard for, and it's not like I'll never see him ever again." Zuko says all business and professionalism.

I'm slightly surprised at him being so forward with her.

"Okay, that's a start. Sokka? Have you thought this through?" Toph questions.

"I—I…" I trail off, I don't want to do this here.

"Well?!" She demands.

"Would you give me a minute?!" I yell at her, she is pushing me and Zuko isn't doing anything to stop her. I was trying to think it through, but being put on the spot was making me flustered and a little angry. "I think I'm going to be too busy thinking about work while I'm there. Like he said, it's not like I won't ever see him again, but I don't know how _often_ we'll see each other. I guess we would be able to write, I still have Hawkey after all!"

"That fucking bird…" He groans.

"What?! Is that not good enough?"

"So, what about sex?" Toph blurts out.

I feel my face get hot. This is going too far.

Zuko continues to shock me by giving her an answer. "No, no, that won't be an issue. We've discussed that. He understands I'm not the type of person to throw around intimacy aimlessly."

"Oh yeah? Well then, what about you?" She asks, rounding on me. 

"What about me?" I snap at her.

"You don't think you will buckle under pressure and seek out someone else for physical affection?"

"No."

"...Are you sure?"

"Yes I'm _sure_!"

"I dunno Sokka. That Nahime chick might just make you her hunt of the century."

Zuko's eyes narrow at the mention of her name. "Nahime? You think she would do something?" His voice is dark and almost threatening.

I shake my head furiously. "No, no, no. That won't _ever_ happen. Even if she was interested—no."

"If you say so." Toph shrugs her shoulders, but her tone makes me believe that she's not quite convinced.

"Yes, I say so. We're done talking about our sex life with you!" I say with finality. I walk out of the room before she decided to ignore me and press the matter further. I stomp down the hallway, still upset from interaction.

I know Toph meant well, but her lack of filter and disregard of propriety irked me.

I don't even know what Zuko and I will end up being. I will find out in my own time, and I don't need to be badgered about it. I don't need her putting the idea in Zuko's head that I'm going to be sleeping around. I don't need Zuko to just go along with her impromptu therapy sessions!

I realize my fists are clenched and I'm breathing heavily. _Man, I haven't been this worked up in a while_. ****

 **Zuko**

Sokka seemed genuinely upset. I was going to hear about this later, no doubt. When he stormed off, I look over to Toph and tried to give her a convincing smile. "He didn't mean to be so harsh." My apology is a halfhearted lie.

She sighs deeply. "Yeah, well…don't mention it. I just don't want you two screwing things up because you're both hard headed." She gently punches my arm.

"Oh I know…wanna go catch up with him?" I ask, gesturing in the general direction.

We can't seem to find Sokka anywhere even though we went after him not long after he left. He obviously doesn't want to be found. He needs to cool off., so I suggest we call it quits. He would show up later before Toph left. We decided that we would eat a late lunch, and over the meal we tossed around ideas of a vacation later in the year the others might be up for.

As we sip tea I remember that she and Uncle had been walking around all morning discussing a potential alliance. I bring it up as casually as possible. I have a sneaking idea what it's about and I'm not sure I want my suspicions to be confirmed.

"So, Uncle mentioned you two had an interesting conversation."

"Yeah."

"Well, I was wondering, what made it so interesting?"

"We talked about a lot of stuff actually. You'll have to be a little more specific."

 _Damn it_. "Uncle mentioned some sort of alliance, and as the Fire Lord…I just felt that…well. I mean did you-"

"Oh just come out with it!" She cuts me off impatiently.

I flinch.

"Did you tell my Uncle about me and Sokka?" The words leave my mouth so quickly I'm surprised she understood.

Toph shifts her entire weight so she is facing me full on and the floor under me shakes slightly. "Do you really think I would go blabbing to someone about that?" She sounds offended.

I grip the table firmly, hoping the low rumble in the ground stops soon. "W-w-well I don't…"

"Seriously?!" Her face is tightly pinched and red from anger. A small crack appears in the marble flooring.

"Toph, please." I try to calm her down, I don't want my dining hall to be turned into rubble. "It's not that I don't trusted you but…I just need to know."

An eternity passes, but the rumbling stops. Toph is still glaring at me.

"I didn't tell Iroh about you and Sokka. He did ask me if I had any suspicions about you though."

I had decided to take a sip of tea too soon, and ended up choking. "He what?"

"Iroh asked me if I felt there was anything between you and Sokka. He confided in me that he thinks you two have some sort of attraction. He doesn't know exactly what it is but he's aware of it."

I can't believe it. He knows. Or at least he thinks he knows. Panic sets in and my heart beat makes me feel like Toph is shaking the ground again. What will he say? Despite male relationships being so common in the Fire Nation, I don't exactly know all of Uncle's views. Not to mention, I'm the Fire Lord, there have been no homosexual Fire Lords. My feels must have been plain on my face because Toph quickly jumps to calm me.

"Hey hey hey, _relax_ Matches. I don't think his suspicion upsets him. He just wanted to hear what I had to say on the matter. I indulged him. We talked in hypotheticals, but I didn't tell him about anything I know. That's not my place."

My hands are pulling my face as I turn to her. As much as I wanted to find comfort in her words, I just can't. Toph is rubbing my back, trying to soothe me. My mind is going a million miles a minute and I don't know how to bring them to a halt.

"Why are you so scared? What makes you think he would be anything but supportive?"

I laugh hard. "Toph, my father hates me. My sister is crazy. My mother is nowhere to be found; she's probably dead. Izumi is but a child. Uncle Iroh is all I have left. I don't want to disappoint him anymore. I did that enough when I was younger. I don't want to push him away with what I am."

Heavy silence takes over the room. _With what I am_. Was I embarrassed by my being attracted to another man? _No, that can't be it_. Or maybe it was. _No, I'm terrified of Uncle not accepting that I'm gay_.

"Zuko. I can promise you, you won't push him away. He'll only be a little hurt by choosing not to trust him. He loves you and cares about you." Toph whispers reassuringly, gripping my shoulders firmly.

"I know…I just can't bring myself to tell him yet." I say softly.

"I know. And you deserve the time to figure it out."

"Yeah…thanks."

Toph shoves me back in my seat and poses differently. "Someone's coming." She whispers.

I turn to see Dezrah slipping in. He stops to bow before making his announcement. "Chief Beifong, your carriages are packed with your belongings. The ship in port must leave within the next two hours."

"Well damn. Talk about being rushed. Are my men ready to leave?"

"Yes Ma'am, they are standing by your carriages. Ambassador Sokka is outside as well. He is giving information to one of your men about a shipment you will be receiving within the next few weeks."

I dismiss Dezrah and walk with Toph to the training room. We find Uncle and Izumi gracefully going through a basic form, they've been at it for a long time and I can see their movements are now labored. Despite this, Izumi is moving with elegance and precision, and I watched her in awe.

Uncle sees us from the corner of his eye and gestures that they were almost done. Toph finds a spot on a wall to lean on. Emi is posted on top of the wooden dummy, watching Izumi with intelligent eyes. I scratch behind her ears and she purrs softly.

Izumi finishes her form, bowing slowly after.

"Well done Princess Izumi." Uncle says affectionately.

Izumi turns her attention to Toph, asking her if she has to leave already.

"I do. I wanted to ask if you would see me out." Toph holds out her hand for Izumi and they walk together—Emi pitter pattering right behind them, trying to keep up.

Seeing Toph with Izumi now, I have the strong impression that she will be this way with her own child. She's very careful in approaching the kids, easily entertains them, levels with them—I doubt she'll have a hard time. She's going to be a wonderful mom.

Sokka is talking to one of Toph's footmen when we arrive at the main yard, ensuring everything was packed and ready.

"Hey there frazzle butt, you ready to send me packing?" Toph says playfully, slapping him on the back.

Sokka looks back at her with annoyance plastered on his face. "Ha. Ha. Very funny Toph."

Izumi covers her mouth and giggles. Sokka catches her doing and peers over to give her a mock stern expression. "What's so funny Izumi?"

She stops and snaps her hand down to her side. "Nothing!"

"Mhmm, sure." He teases her, messing with her hair.

"Well, it was nice seeing you guys. I had a good time, even with the meetings and political jumbo. Thanks for letting me stay." Toph says, walking to her cart.

"It was a pleasure. We'll be sure to see you soon. Especially after the baby gets here." I say.

"Yeah that'll be great! I guess I'll see you soon enough, huh Sokka?"

Sokka gives her a stoic stare. "Yupp. Can't wait." He's clearly still miffed.

"It was nice seeing you again General Iroh!" Toph turns from him, not letting his mood get to her. She gives Uncle a big hug.

"And you Chief! Take care of yourself!" Uncle returns the embrace.

I take Izumi and lead her back to the training room after we wave goodbye. I wanted to have some one on one time with her. We don't normally train together, but I wanted to see where she was at in her training. Sokka's attitude made it easier for me to not invite him. Normally I would request him to help in her lessons, but I didn't want his negativity to affect Izumi.

Walking pass him, I give him a hard glare. He stares back cautiously and walks off somewhere. For a few hours, Izumi shows off everything she's learned from her instructors and from Uncle. She's a gifted fire bender. She's gotten a lot better in her hand to hand combat as well. I'm quite impressed.

Izumi's stomach growls loudly. "I think we've done enough for tonight. Why don't you go get showered before dinner Sweetheart?" Izumi nods, bows briefly and sprints out the training room.

Looking in a mirror nearby, I see I could do a bit of cleaning up myself. I change my shirt, wash my hands and face, redo my hair and, head to dinner. I suddenly think about Sokka. I feel guilty, I should have asked him if he was okay. I was too caught up in being angry. _I need to see if he's alright. We need to talk_.

 **Sokka**

The way Zuko glared at me when he took Izumi made me feel little, and I hated it. What the hell did I do to make him look at me like that? Was he upset? _I need a damn nap_. I grind my teeth as I storm off to my room. The artic furs are welcome against my skin as I flop onto my bed. The top coat is very soft. I burry my body into as deeply as I can; feeling the prickly undercoat beneath.

Actually getting to sleep seems to be impossible; thoughts of Zuko keep pestering me. I'm too wound up. I try to shove the thoughts of him away, but it's not working. My brain is replaying memories of him. His smile, his touch, his deep raspy voice, his rare outburst laughter, the warmth of his body, his beautifully milky skin—how soft his skin is, all these memories plague me.

 _I don't deserve him_. I'm staring at the ceiling, chanting it over and over again. _I don't deserve him_. _He's too good to have._ Why would he be interested in a person like me? He's royalty, and opposite me in every way. _But he's mine._ A small, greedy voice inside of me says happily. I feel a smile creep across my lips. _I made him mine. He wanted me too after all._

I wake up suddenly, and there is no light filtering through the window. Sleep had come over me unexpectedly, and I had being asleep longer than I had intended. I slink out of my bed and make my way to the dining room. _I hope I didn't miss everyone at dinner_.

The lights in the hallway are harsh and I squint, diverting my eyes to the floor. It was going to take a little bit of time for my sight to adjust to the brightness. By the time I push the doors open I've rubbed the sleep from my eyes, and have adjusted to the light. Iroh, Izumi, and Zuko are all seated. The servants were just about to serve them their first course. A thunderous slam echoes the room and I freeze, everyone is looking at me. "Sorry, I didn't mean to shut it that hard."

"Nice of you to join us." Zuko says as I take my usual seat. Usually he would be teasing but I almost feel like he's scolding me for being late.

"Uh, yeah. I fell asleep. Sorry."

"Ah, I took a nice nap myself. It was quite refreshing. How about yourself Sokka? Do you feel refreshed?" Iroh asks.

I mumble that it wasn't the best nap I'd ever had, and that I was still a bit groggy. I move salad around my plate with a fork. I was hungry, but I wanted meat and potatoes. The greens and fire peppers looked offensively healthy.

"That's too bad. Maybe you will be well rested by morning." Iroh says, spooning a mouthful of lettuce leaves in his mouth.

For some reason I have a feeling that I won't. "Hmm, maybe. So uh, Izumi, how did your training go this evening?"

Izumi's face lights up, and she moves her plate over. "It was a lot of fun! Daddy had me show him what I've been learning. We did fire bending, practiced forms, hand to hand combat and all sorts of stuff." Her hands moves around wildly as she told her story.

The way she gets excited is quite adorable. "That sounds like fun! Did she do well Zuko?" I turn to him, only to see him staring at his plate of food.

"Mhm. She did extremely well. I expect nothing less."

"Daddy and I are going to practice with different weapons tomorrow!"

"Oh? Which one are you going to pick first?"

Izumi shrugs. "I dunno. The swords are really heavy. But I want to practice them all! The spear, swords, bataang stick, daggers—everything! I'm gonna be the best fighting Fire Lord there is!" She exclaims. She sits up extra tall, flexing her arms like I taught her. We're all laughing at her antics.

"Well then—it seems you are going to be quite the warrior when you're all grown up." I reach my hand out for her to high five and she does with enthusiasm.

"The best there is!"

An idea crosses my mind—but I keep it to myself for now.

As dinner goes on, I can feel some tension between me and Zuko. He didn't participate in dinner conversation like usual, and his clipped tone toward me was making me irritated again.

After dinner, Izumi excuses herself from the table to go to bed. She kisses Iroh, myself, and Zuko goodnight before being escorted by a guard to her room.

"I will be turning in for the night as well. Good night." Iroh leaves us alone.

The silence that followed his departure was awkward and almost palpable. I'm the first one to break, not able to sit in the silence any longer.

"So I'll see you in the morning?"

He's not looking at me. "Mhm." He murmurs.

"Training in the morning?" I suggest, trying to get more of a response out of him.

"Sure."

I clench my jaw and walk out. I wasn't going to play that game with him tonight. Toph had riled me up already today, and I didn't want the same from my encounters with Zuko. Not when we should be laughing and enjoying the few weeks we had left with each other. I tossed my clothes on my bed in frustration. Stupid Toph. Stupid Zuko. Speak of the devil and he shall appear, the doors to my room swung open.

"We need to talk." He storms into the room, slamming the doors closed with a huff.

"Oh yea, please—come in. Don't knock or anything. Just barge right in. It's not like I'm in the middle of something." I say sarcastically.

"What's with the shitty attitude today? You've been acting like a bratty child! What's with you?"

I'm stunned. " _Really_? I've been acting shitty?"

"Yes! You have! For some reason you've had some sort of stick up your ass ever since this morning with Toph. When she said good bye you basically told her to piss off. Why?"

I shift my stance to stand my ground. "It's nothing. I don't want to talk about it." I try to make my way to my dresser, but Zuko grabs my arm.

"Why won't you tell me? Was it something she said? Was it something _I_ said?"

"No Zuko—I just—ugh. Just drop it." I try to pull away but his grip is strong.

"Don't shut me out. What's going on?" He's trying to be calm and coax me to say something. But, I can tell he's getting frustrated.

"I said it's _nothing_! Now would you just dr—"

"God damn it Sokka! It's obviously not 'nothing' if you got so upset! How do you expect us to be together if you won't share anything?! Now tell me!" He shouts.

"I—I…" a sigh escapes that I've been holding in, and I close my eyes. "If I tell you, would you please try not to take it the wrong way?"

Zuko lets go of my arm and stands quietly.

"I'm upset because of everything that's happening." I start off. "Ever since you told me how you feel about me, I can't stop thinking about it. You're all I think about. These feelings have yet to die down and go away. And I don't want them to. Just when I find this out, I have to go to Republic City; leaving you behind.

Then there's Nahime—that blood sucking leech who won't leave me alone. No one else seems to let go of the idea that she fancy's me. Especially when Toph suggests that I won't be faithful to you because of her. _Her?! Nahime?!_ Toph—she's supposed to be my best friend, and she can't even believe I would be faithful.

I don't know what she expects us to tell her when _we_ are trying to figure this out still. We're still sneaking around like it's a secret, but I'm okay with that. It is a secret! This is something that's not at all common in my culture. For all I know my own father might disown me permanently. I only just got him back after this war, and I'm not willing to let him go. Not for anyone.

What we are doing, it's no one's business but our own. Until we work through it, no one needs to know. No one needs to be our mediator or give us therapy sessions, like Toph did today. We are men, Zuko, and we get to make decisions when we are ready, not when people tell us we should be ready.

Let's not ignore that I'm leaving, for an undetermined amount of time. I could be gone forever. I'm terrified that I will never be able to see you outside of work again. For Spirits sake! Just when I think things are going great…"

I feel my hands shaking, and tears are running down my face. I didn't think it would all come out like this. I turn away from Zuko and try to calm down.

"Sokka—I had no idea."

"Yeah—well, now you do. Satisfied?"

I start moving, getting ready for bed, I need to do something to keep myself from getting emotional again. Zuko just stands there though. "Are you just going to stand there or say something?" I say a little coldly.

He shifts his eyes to focus on me. "I'm happy you told me why you were so upset. But that still doesn't excuse the fact of why you treated Toph so horribly on her way out."

"Oh, like giving me the cold shoulder is any better of a way to act?"

"…No, you're right. I acted foolishly. I'm sorry."

He walks up slowly until his face is just inches from mine. "I understand you felt targeted. You have every right to be this upset." His hand gently brushes my cheek and rests on the crook on my neck. I feel chills run down my spine when he does this. My senses are begging for him to keep touching me. "I know this is…difficult, but you must know that I'm right there with you." His gaze is fixed in my chest. His hand, almost hesitantly, drops down—his palm resting on my chest and his fingertips rubbing my collar bone.

 _Spirits, just take me!_ I'm fighting the urge to lean into his touch.

"You're right," he says huskily, his other hand rests on my hip. "This is about _us_. And we should keep it that way for as long as we want." The way his thumb circles over my hip bone has me in a trance; I don't know how long he's been talking. I nod in agreement. I feel the breath on my lips growing heavy. I bite my lower lip to contain myself—as if it would help.

Zuko notices and his lips curl up in a smile, and he hums. "Seems like someone is a little bothered. Does this distract you?" I nod as I try to hold in a whimper of need.

He pulls me in and kisses me. His kiss feels different for some reason. He's not aggressive like he usually is. He's carefully and deliberately placing his lips on mine. Each kiss felt passionate. I wanted more.

I hungrily kiss him, deepening it—only to find him pushing me away. "Slowly…slow." He whispers. I groan in disappointment. I wanted him _now_.

Zuko's arms slide around my waist. His hands are caressing my back—fingers tracing over every muscle. _This feels so amazing_ , I think to myself. I'm on the verge of taking him by force if he continues to tease me at this agonizing pace.

"Over there." Zuko growls, motioning over to the bed. I stumble—my knees were shaking from want. I hear Zuko snicker, and a blush creeps up my neck. He needs to shut up and just get back to touching me.

I sit on the edge of the bed, waiting for Zuko to join me. He stands in front of me and takes off his clothes, slowly. All he's left in are his small clothes— I see he's not erect like me. _Am I not turning him on?_ I reach out to touch him, but he slaps my hand away.

"Stop." I gulp as I recognize the predatory glint in his eye. "Lay down." He commands. I fall back on my elbows. He climbs on top of me and shoves me on my back. With a tight grip on my wrists he moves my arms above my head—pining me.

Zuko's free hand tugs at my hair tie—pulling it free, and then runs his fingers through it. My head jerks back from a sharp yank. Hot breath runs down the side of my neck as I feel his teeth biting me. "No touching," I nod and he lets go of my wrists. I leave them above my head to resist temptation.

He begins to slide down, his hands trailing after him. His wet tongue is going over my stomach, stopping only to nip at me from time to time. His torso and chest rub against my cock as me moved down. Precum had seeped through my shorts, leaving a small wet spot. I feel my erection throbbing and straining at the fabric. I'm going to pass out if he doesn't do anything to relieve me soon.

I comb my fingers through Zuko's soft black hair. I gently tug on it; asking for his touch on my manhood. He slaps my hand away, oops. Tutting, he says he'll let me off with a warning this time, but the next time he wouldn't be so forgiving. Zuko pulls off my shorts, tossing them aside, and slips his fingers in the waistband of my underwear. I feel the clothing sliding off, and the air hitting my exposed skin. He drops my underwear and stares at me. I still myself, holding my breath, anticipating his next move.

Zuko places his hand on my thighs and begins to rub them. _His hands are strong_. The way his wrists move, his palms knead my thighs, and his fingers pinch ever so slightly. I feel myself spilling more seed, as it gathers in a small pool on my hip bone.

I jerk as I feel Zuko cleaning up the mess on my hip with his flicking tongue; just centimeters from my cock. _This is too much. I'm about to explode. If his warning is touching everything except the one thing I want him to touch, I don't want to know what punishment is._ Within that moment, his lips kiss the tip of my erection. I let out a low moan and then gasp as I feel Zuko tonguing up and down and all around me.

His hand tightly grasps me and starts pumping. I clench my hand and bite my fist. I'm trying to control my whimpering moans, but it's all so overwhelming. I do my best to muffle my cries, but he shakes his head, and pulls my hand away from me. "Louder. I want to hear you." He says deeply. I obey him. My breath is heavy and erratic.

Zuko lays on top of me, still jerking me off, and slips his tongue in my mouth. Its torture to not wrap my arms behind his neck and pull him closer to me. I break my mouth away from his and try to catch my breath, but he forces his mouth back to mine. It's my undoing. I cum hard onto Zuko's chest.

My chest heaves as I gasp for air as my body quaking from the release. I buck a little when I find Zuko sucking me off again. I can feel his tongue flicking the tip, ensuring I was entirely cleaned off. I'm ready to go again.

"Mmm, Zuko." I whisper. He responds by fondling my balls, and then spreading my legs apart. I feel his thumb rubbing me. I tense up from anticipation; I want him in me.

Zuko pulls away from my dick to lube his finger. He gently presses on my rim, entering slowly. I instantly relax to this touch. I want him so badly; I need him in me as soon as possible. We might be bad at talking, but we are good at this. He goes in and out slowly, ensuring I'm used to the movements. I feel him slipping in a second finger, only this time, looking for that sweet spot.

I thrust my pelvis up as he's found what he was looking for. Zuko quickly starts rubbing over that spot repeatedly. He grabs my manhood once more and goes through the motions of pleasing me. When I'm on the edge and sure I'm going to cum again, he releases me. Zuko centers himself over me, looking down hungrily. "Shall I?" He asks, seeking for permission to enter me. I nod feverishly.

"Please," I mewl and grab the bed sheets in anticipation.

Zuko cups his hand to gather his spit, rubbing it on his shaft. He fixes his eyes on mine before he pushes in slowly. It hurts when he does it, how could I forget how big his cock is? He stills, giving me a chance to get used to his length and girth. A sigh from me is his que to continue.

Zuko is able to slip in and out of me without any resistance now. Still, he goes at a slow pace, keeping me close to him. He's panting now—I can tell he's close. "Harder." I grunt in his ear. He starts thrusting harder in me. Even then his movement still feels tender. He's trying to make _love_. The realization sends a tingling sensation throughout my body. I'm getting more into it as he thrusts in me.

"More Zuko. I want more." I moan. Zuko flashes me a looks that makes me quiver. Grabbing me, he rolls over so I'm on top, ridding him. He holds me in place with a firm grip on my hips. I claw his chest and hold on to him as we move together. A cry escapes my lips.

"Sokka…Fuck, you feel so good…" He whispers. I feel pain coming from my hips, there will be bruises there tomorrow from where he is digging his fingers into my flesh. The pain is quickly replaced with pleasure as his hand leaves my hip and begins to stroke me.

Zuko matches speeds between jerking me off and pounding beneath me. My ears are filled with Zuko's moaning and grunting. I feel my head getting dizzy from his intoxicating sounds. "Come for me…" My cock flexes and I spill everywhere, as if he could undo with me only his voice.

Zuko hums in satisfaction. His thrusts are more fevered than before and with a roar of satisfaction he grips my thighs; filling me from climax. I fall forward on his chest and we lay there, exhausted.

I slid off of him and to his side, staring at him. He grabs my hand and intertwines his fingers into mine—kissing the back of my hand. "I want you Sokka…no matter what it costs us. You're all I want..." His eyes are growing heavy, letting out a small yawn.

Looking at him, he's angelically perfect. How am I supposed to leave him behind?


	5. Chapter 5

**Zuko**

Today's the day Sokka leaves for Republic City—the day I've been dreading ever since he formally accepted his new position as Head Councilman of Republic City a few weeks back. I've done everything possible to arrange his entire move—from boxing up his belongings to placing the delivery orders. I asked Toph to arrange for assistants to receive his things and set them up in his new apartment. Aang found a nice flat for Sokka overlooking the courthouse. It's a penthouse apartment—and far larger anything he would pick for himself, but I don't see the harm in making him comfortable. I even took the liberty of having the rent drawn from my personal treasury. I can already picture him sending me his ditzy messenger hawk with a letter, raging at me for going overboard. Ha! If Sokka had it his way, he'd be camping in his office under mountains of lists and schedules.

Sokka and I made a point to spend a few minutes alone every day leading up to his departure. Izumi already missed him and he wasn't even gone yet. She woke up hours earlier to train with him. Any chance to spend time with him that presented itself, she took. Being more attuned to her feelings, maybe from having a normal sister to grow up with, he took on an almost motherly role in Izumi's life. She would miss him. I would miss him. He has a special place in our hearts and our family, and his leaving will be acutely felt.

I snuck into his room before day break, snuggling up to him and nuzzling my face into his shoulders. He peers over to see me, his eyes hooded, and pulls my arms closer to his chest. I kiss his warm back in response.

"Mmm…you're so warm…" He murmurs. I pull my arm free from his grasp to let my hand wander his body. His muscles contract as I trace over his chest and abdomen. My fingers ghost up his spine, his neck, and I bury my fingers in his soft tousled hair. With a sigh of a groan I readjust myself, pushing my hips in his backside. Sokka grinds his ass against me in answer to my movements.

"You little tease." I whisper huskily, nibbling his shoulder.

Last night he had spent nearly an hour teasing me, rubbing, grinding, and caressing. When he finally allowed me to enter him I took it slow and savored him. I wanted him to know how I felt, how much I loved him, without having to say the words. Saying it out loud would change everything, and he wasn't ready for that. I wasn't sure I was ready for that. No, the unspoken affection was enough for now.

The sun was coming up, I could feel it stir my chi warmly. _It's time to get up_. "As much I would like to continue this, you need to shower." He growls in defiance, but gets up—taking the blankets with him to the bathroom; muttering under his breath how cruel it was to disturb a man's sleep.

I sit up and see his bags are packed and stacked in a corner, his clothes for the day draped over top them. My heart sinks into my gut, and dread starts to set it. I try to shake it off—it's too soon to start feeling like this. He hasn't left yet. _I miss him already_. _It won't be forever…it won't be forever,_ I repeat to myself, running my hand over the empty shelves where his knickknacks and souvenirs used to be proudly displayed.

When the shower stops, I take the clothes he laid out. I hold them close to my chest, hoping his scent will linger on me, but I know it won't. I press them lightly, attempting to get some wrinkles out.

"Oh, thank you. You didn't have to do that." Sokka says, towel drying his hair.

"I wanted to." I smile warmly at him. He shaved the sides of his head and face. I trace his jawline—it's soft and smooth. "I like your stubble, the way it feels against me," he rolls his eyes back and hums, "but you look so handsome clean shaven." I kiss him quickly.

"Who's the tease now?"

I laugh in response and give him a quick, playful smack on his bottom, "Me? Never. It's time for you to get ready councilman."

I watch him get dressed and slick his hair back into a warrior wolf tail. "Ready?" He asks me. His eyes are so bright, and stand out against his tan skin. I want to kiss him again, but I feel that if I start again I wouldn't be able to stop, and we were already wasting precious daylight. Instead, I nod curtly.

Izumi slips out of her room as we arrive, and she is surprised. She must have expected to meet us in the dining room, but the surprise is a welcome one. With an excited jump, she hugs Sokka. My heart aches at the sight. Who knows when we will be like this again? A family walking to breakfast together, hand in hand, laughing, and smiling.

Uncle is already at the table sipping tea, a large breakfast spread in front of him. Platters were mounded high with eggs, fried cured meats, fish, rice, fruit, and other traditional Fire Nation Foods. "Ah! Good morning everyone! I hope you don't mind, but I took the liberty of having a special meal prepared. All of your favorite foods, Sokka." Uncle says.

"This all looks so amazing!" Sokka is drooling as he looks over the assortment. "Let's eat!" He and Izumi pile their plates, enthusiastically, with more food than they were going to be able to eat. I chose to be more reasonable with my portion sizes, but when my stomach growls angrily, reminding me that I had skipped out on dinner last night to partake in _dessert_ , I opted for a few more fish and another scoop of rice.

By the end of breakfast we are all about to burst at the seams. I had been wrong, Izumi and Sokka had fished their mountains of food and had gone back for more. Uncle smiles at us as he sips his tea comfortably. "Did you enjoy your meal?" He asks Izumi, who is only able to groan in response.

"Good Morning my Lord." Dezrah bows beside me. I hadn't heard him come in through the servant's entrance and his sudden appearance startled me.

I compose myself quickly, though I see Sokka snickering. "Is the ship in port?"

"Yes, my Lord."

"Are Councilman Sokka's belongings on board, and what of the shipment for Chief Beifong?"

"Both are taken care of my Lord."

I nod my head in approval, and turn to Sokka with a sad smile. "Well, I guess it's time to see you off. Dezrah make the arrangements, we will be going to the docks." Dezrah bows and leaves to coordinate our escort.

Izumi jumps up. As she's running out of the hall she calls back that she will be right back and that she will meet us at the main entrance. I look to Sokka with a raised eyebrow, questioningly. He only shrugs in response.

"So! Councilman, you must be excited about your new position." Uncle says to Sokka, throwing and arm around him.

"Oh—y—yeah, I am. It's an honor." He says.

"Your father must be proud of you."

"He wrote me a letter, saying as much, but I have a feeling he is a little disappointed I didn't come home to train under him." Sokka rubs the back of his head nervously, he's always idolized his father. The idea of disappointing him has always made him fidgety.

"I'm sure it's just that he misses you." I say, speaking from my own experience. The pride I felt in his accomplishments didn't ever seem to completely take away the sting of the idea of him being gone.

My shoulders are tense, Izumi has been gone longer than expected. The conversation has died and the silence is not a comfortable one. Not for me at least. Uncle doesn't seem to be perturbed by anything, ever. "Where is she," I hiss under my breath. "She knows that we are on a tight schedule today."

"Reeeee-laaaaaaaaaaax. I'm not in too much of a rush. The ship can't leave without its precious cargo after all." Sokka says, tooting his own horn.

"Don't flatter yourself. It still needs to meet its charter. Precious cargo or not."

Sokka is cut off before he can reply by Izumi and Emi skidding around the corner. She has a box in her hand with large holes cut into it. I can hear the creatures inside quacking in distress. Izumi is huffing and puffing, trying to catch her breath. "I got this for you Uncle Sokka." She says, holding out a box.

"And what's this?" Sokka asks, taking the box.

"It's two turtle ducks from the garden." She says proudly. "It took so long because I had to cut the holes in the box myself."

Sokka takes off the lid and pets the turtle ducks on their fluffy heads. In that moment he is a child with a new pet. I know he is thinking seriously about keeping them.

"Where on earth are you going to keep them in your apartment?" Trying to talk reason to him is pointless though, his mind was made up the instant he felt the soft tufts of baby feathers on their heads.

Sokka shrugs. "I guess they can live in the bathtub till I can get a small pool made for them or something—hopefully I have a small balcony or something."

Sokka doesn't know that the apartment Aang and I settled on is a pent house, and it had a very spacious balcony. He would be ecstatic, and furious.

"What are going to name them?" Izumi asks.

"Hmm…I think Tuttut and Ducky." He nods seriously, I swear he thinks these names are genius. They make my eye twitch in annoyance. He is good at a lot of things, but pet names are not included in his skillset. __

" _Really_ Sokka? Tuttut and Ducky?! How, may I ask, did you come up with those original names?" My voice is heavy with sarcasm, but he is either willfully ignoring it or is as dumb as a bag of rocks.

Izumi is giggling. "Is it because they're turtleducks? Turtle, Tuttut! Duck, Ducky!"

"Exactly my dear!" Sokka gives her a wink. "Pretty good right?"

Uncle looks amused by Sokka's remarks—which are driving me insane. _This moron…_ I'm saved further idiocy by the arrival of a pair of Komodo Rhinos escorted by a small guard. I opted to ride with Uncle, even if the ride was a little cramped. If Sokka and I rode together I was either going to take him right then and there in front of everyone, or I was going to push him off and have the damned animal trample him. Either option was less than ideal.

"Councilman Sokka will surely be missed, wouldn't you say Zuko?" Uncle says.

"Yes…he will be." I look at Sokka with forlorn. Uncle coughs and I snap back, "I mean, he has been loyal and served well on my council. He is irreplaceable."

"Nephew, are you going to be okay when he leaves?"

I give him a hard look, his implications were clear and it made me more than a little uncomfortable. "Eventually."

"I see… well they say that absence makes the heart grow fonder."

I don't respond to Uncle and favored looking away instead. I didn't want him to see my reaction. Heat was creeping up my neck, and I'm sure my face was the color of a beat. Not a graceful look for a Lord.

The Captain stood waiting for us at the plank, he gives a sharp salute as we dismount from our saddles. "Good Morning Captain. Is everything set for departure?" My tone is clipped and businesslike.

"Yes Fire Lord!" He says rather loudly.

"We'll just be a few moments." I hold up a hand to silence him as he goes to shout a response. He nods curtly and then salutes me once more before walking up the steep slate to his ship.

My emotions are building in my throat, choking me when I try and speak. I swallow hard and try again. "Izumi," my voice cracks, I clear my throat with a cough. "Izumi, come wish your uncle a safe trip."

Izumi hugs Sokka tightly, tears streaming down her face. "Hey there kiddo, it's going to be okay. I'll see you soon, I promise." He says to console her. She nods her head. "Before I forget, there's something I need to give you." Sokka pulls off his boomerang and whale bone dagger, holding them out to her.

"W-what's this?" She's hesitant to reach for them, but I can tell that she wants to.

"It's a belated birthday present from me. I want you to have them."

"Uncle Sokka, I can't have these." Her eyes are wide and her voice is full of awe.

"You're a warrior, you deserve them. They are some of the finest that the Southern Water Tribe has ever made, they have been passed down through my family for generations. If you want to be a weapons expert, you need to get your hands on all the weapons you can."

"But then, shouldn't you give them to your kids Uncle Sokka?"

"Sometimes traditions need to be broken. Besides, kid, I practically raised you!" He laughs. "Take them, and become the fiercest Fire Lord the world has ever seen."

With shaky hands reaches for them. "Thank you, Master." She says, bowing low. He hugs her tightly and kisses the side of her head.

"Take good care of them. Okay? You should go show your father."

Izumi's face is split by a smile, and she nods her head, hair bouncing. She walked as fast as she could over to me, holding them out for me to inspect. I shake my head and tell her that she should hold on to them and could show them to me during weapons training. She seemed excited by the prospect.

Uncle says a prayer with Sokka; asking the Spirits to look over him on his trip, and for them to grant him great fortune in Republic City. They shake hands and embrace. Once they are apart Izumi hustles over to Uncle to show him her presents. He fawns over them with her, and compliments Sokka on their quality.

I'm unable to move, looking at Sokka with my family…our family. I'm afraid if I do anything, even move, it will shatter this moment. When his eyes raise to meet mine everything is right in the world. I take a deep breath and open my arms; he fits perfectly there. My heart is thundering in my chest. "I'll miss you…" He whispers in my ear

With that the warm spell is broken, my racing heart now aches. "I miss you already," I manage to answer weakly. Sokka sneaks a kiss on the side of my neck and pulls away, smiling. It's a sad smile but more convincing than anything I could muster.

"Don't keep me waiting—come see me soon." He clasps his hand on my shoulder and squeezes, and then he boarding the ship, waving to us from the railing.

It might have seemed, from the outside, that my departure from Sokka was cold and hard. It was only in appearances though. I was painfully straining to hold my breaking heart together.

 **Sokka**

Once the docks were out of sight I slumped to my room miserably. _That's not how I would like to remember him last_. My chest was tight and clenching it didn't relieve my thumping heart in the slightest. My mouth trembled and I felt tears stinging my eyes. _This really sucks_.

Sailing to Republic City was a three day trip. When we pulled into the harbor to dock, Toph, with the other Councilmen, is waiting to greet me. I eagerly and make my way down the ramp, but abruptly one of the sailors stops me asks about the animals I had brought on board. I confirmed that I did have the animals, to which his response was producing a customs form that hit the deck when I unrolled it.

Everyone was leaning on posts or boxes, I had to fill out three of the forms before they would let me off the ship. Customs were tighter than I had expected. We never had to deal with this when we were flying around on Appa all the time. They all jumped to their feet, and started to congratulate me, but I was more concerned with making up for my behavior to Toph a few weeks past. "Hey Toph!" I say, hugging her closely.

"Well you're in a better mood since last time." She says.

"Sorry about that, I was just on edge."

"It's water under the bridge."

"How's the Metal Bending School coming along?"

"It's going. The students have some work to do before they graduate, and then after the ceremony they are getting shipped off to the Police Academy!" She stomps a foot to show her frustration; the ground quakes a little.

"Who is running the Police Academy?"

"Who do you think? Me!"

"Do you think that's such a good idea? You are bound to go into labor any day now right? Why don't you have someone military officer teach it? They are well trained and know the laws, they would be more than willing to help you." I feel like I'm scolding a child, but she just doesn't know when to take a break.

"You think I haven't thought of that? Military training is soft compared to what I have in store for them, and I don't need any soft cops running around my streets! We can talk about all this later though, you need to great the other council members." She waves over three individuals and I almost take a step back when I see that Nahime is a part of the group. _Just great._

"This is Head Councilmen Sokka. He was elected by the Earth Kingdom and the White Lotus, and will be taking charge of Republic City Court. Sokka, this is Councilman Basko, from the Fire Nation, Councilman Nadir from the Earth Kingdom, and you're already acquainted with Councilman Nahime, from the Northern Water Tribe."

I bow respectfully, and then pull out a scroll from a bag I had slung over my shoulder. I had plenty of time to plan, in detail, what I wanted to accomplish in the first few weeks. The other's eyes bug out as the paper unrolls onto the ground. "Good Morning everyone. It's great to finally be here with you all. I'm very honored and humbled to be your Head Councilman. I understand the Courthouse still has some construction going on before its grand opening, but that doesn't mean we should be shirking our duties! With that being said, I suggest we all read up on our propositions and bills for review. If we just follow this plan we should be able to have most of our revising done by early next week."

No one seemed as excited as I was about the schedule…typical. No one but Zuko really appreciated the minute details that comprised my organization and planning skills…Zuko. Damn it. I had been trying not to think of him. I clear my throat, there was only one way to get him off my mind.

"For now though, I think that we should go get something to eat. I haven't had anything decent to eat since I got on that ship." I had been eating hard tack, dried fish, and watered ale since we left the Fire Nation. I needed something more substantial. Something with grilled meat.

"That sounds amazing. I know just the spot, they are the best in the city, if not the fanciest." Basko says. He and I are probably around the same age. He's a bit shorter than me, dark skinned, black hair, and truly mesmerizing hazel eyes.

"Lead the way." I hold out my hand and motion for him to lead the group.

I proffered my arm to Toph so we could walk together and catch up. Nahime, swooped in before I could catch Toph's attention and linked her arm through mine. I was trapped, and Toph, when she did turn around from her conversation with Councilman Nadir, did nothing to save me.

"It's so nice to see you again Councilman Sokka! How have you been?" She says, her voice is more shrill than I remember. I don't want to be rude, but the most I can muster up in the way of conversation is dull small talk.

I notice there's a statue being built in front of the courthouse. I squint to try getting a better visual. _Is that…ME?_

I stop dead in my tracks and gawk. "Toph! What is that?!"

"Didn't you know? The Earth King has ordered several statues to be placed throughout the city. It's a tribute to our victory over evil, or something like that. Mine's over at the Police Headquarters." She seems to be bored, but I'm still floored by the sight.

"Is there one of Aang, Zuko and Katara?" I ask.

"Yea—I don't know if you saw it, but there's a giant statue of Aang being built in front of his island, and Katara would have had one, but she formally declined the gesture. When I say formally, I mean she raised hell to get the already half built statue torn down. It was going to be in front of the hospital, but she wasn't about to let them turn a place of healing into a memorial or something. Shame. Oh! Zuko has one being built too, but I don't know where yet."

Over brunch, the Councilmen and Toph updated me on the ins and outs of the city. It was astounding how well it was holding up economically, but there was a rising problem with crime. It stemmed from a rather large group of citizens who were extremely upset about the reformation of the city. They had not wanted to be separated from the Earth Kingdom. In the upset non Earth Kingdom shop owners were being robbed, public buildings were being vandalized, and citizen were being harassed.

Toph was determined to clean up the streets. She mentioned a family, by the name of Sato, who had been making groundbreaking advances in machinery. They'd improved air ships, made them lighter and stronger. They'd also started using smaller combustion engines to power metal carriages. She went on to say that the police force would be commissioning their business to make specialized Satomobiles, that's what they had named their carts, to patrol the city.

I wondered how the force could afford them, they sounded expensive, but Toph comes from a very wealthy family. I forget that often, she's not the definition of a lady. She burps loudly, as if on cue with my thoughts.

As we left the restaurant, it was decided that we would have our first official meeting in three days, it would allow me to settle in, rest, and prepare all of my material. No one looks excited about more lists and material, but they would thank me eventually. Toph and I were left alone, and she offered to show me my new apartment. Aang had wanted to be the one to show me but was preoccupied with the White Lotus.

Just before we took off, Nahime comes back, a smile plastered on her face. "Councilman! Do you have any plans for the rest of the day? I was wondering if y—"

Toph shoves her way in between us, cutting her off. "As a matter of fact, he does. He'll see you at the first meeting. Good day." She tells Nahime, and with a flick of her wrist the ground beneath Nahime spins and has her walking in the opposite direction.

I sigh in relief. "Phew! Thanks Toph. That girl gives me the creeps."

Toph has a scowled look on her face and nods in agreement. She snaps her head toward me and points. "Sokka, you are to _never_ be alone with her. Do you understand me?"

"Uh, yeah I guess." I gulp, talk about scary intense.

Toph puts her arm down and turns away from me. "I don't know what it is, but I have the feeling that Nahime is bad news. It's like no one really knows who she is, no family to speak of, she's been an ambassador for years but hardly anyone knows her. It's suspicious. Not to mention there's something off when she speaks. It's like…she's telling half-truths. The only other person that was this hard to read was Azula, and we all know it was because she was off her rocker crazy."

I have no response. _Is Nahime a liar? Crazy? Like Azula?_

"I'll make sure we aren't alone together... Now, let's head to my new place! I want to make sure that everything got delivered. After that, you can show me your nursery—I need to make sure you get everything set up right. Plus we can go shopping afterward. You're going to need way more stuff that we sent you."

Toph pinches the bridge of her nose. "Ugh… _fine_. Whatever you want, princess."

"Hey! I'm a grown man!"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Let's go." She shrugs her shoulders.

 _I swear to the Spirits! Zuko does nothing but go over the top._ A penthouse?! This was unnecessary.

The first thing I did was try to downsize, the manager was a nice enough man, but he declined to cooperate with me. Apparently the years rent has been paid. _THE FIRST YEAR?!_ I'm going to kill him. It's decided. I'm going to kill Zuko for this. At least at the palace I got to use my room, here I was going to be so up to my neck with paperwork that I was never going to be able to enjoy the place. It was a waste of money.

I trudged back up the stairs to the apartment. It was a two bedroom affair. Lush carpets covered the tiled floors. The furniture was new and looked expensive, but to Zuko's credit they looked comfortable. Not like the stuffy pieces he had in his formal receiving rooms. He must have had them redecorate, because I couldn't see anyone from this part of the world decorating with artic furs and deep shades of blue. It reminded me of home, and by the time I left for Toph's the place was starting to grow on me. I wasn't going to show it though so I made sure to complain, rather dramatically, the entire way.

"Maybe he just wants to make sure you're comfortable." Toph says.

"I would honestly be better off sleeping in my office. Or camping out in the mountains!" I yell, but I felt better rested by just the idea of the oversized bed that took of the better part of the master bedroom.

Movers are shuffling in and out when we arrive, and immediately Toph struts over and starts bossing them around. Yelling and pointing at them: 'unbox everything for me for crying out loud!', 'don't leave that there! Put in it in here!', 'did you just _scuff_ my granite floor?!'

I manage to pull Toph away from the now frightened movers—thanking them for their services and instructing them to leave.

I worked up a good sweat arranging the furniture, and regretted letting the movers go. I had forgotten how heavy the furniture was—when Mai and I had picked them out we wanted them to be sturdy, so we had them made from dense red wood. Dense. Heavy.

"Ugh! Now that this is done—let's go shopping! You need baby clothes, cloth diapers, toys, blankets—"

"Whatever you say Snoozles. Pick out everything for me." She tosses me a large bag filled with coin pieces. When catching it, I wasn't expecting it to be so heavy—my whole body came down with the bag as I dropped it.

We went into every shop, and I found something she could use in every one of them. Well maybe she didn't need all of the stuff we bought but I was tired of carrying around that crazy heavy bag of coins, and we had a valet that was taking the stuff back as we bought it. I let myself go a little overboard.

Shopping was also a good way to distract me from Izumi and Zuko. I kept finding cute trinkets, most of them Izumi would have adored. I thought about how annoyed Zuko would be as I pointed out everything. I miss them…

"Are we done? My feet are killing me." Toph says, stopping to sit down.

I kneel down in front of her. "Here—give me your feet." She props one of them on my thigh. Her ankles were a bit swollen; I rub them hoping to relieve her a bit. I wasn't there for much of any of Katara's pregnancies, but the few times I was there I would do this for her.

"Ahhh, that's the spot." People passing us were staring. An older couple walking by said how sweet I was to my wife. Toph giggled when she overheard them. My face is red by I try not to pay too much attention to the comment.

"Thanks, my feet feel a lot better. Let's head back to my place, and you get to cook us dinner." She wiggles and popping noises come from her feet.

"Oh, so after all I've done you're going to make me make you dinner?" I say.

"Make _us_ dinner." She corrects me, smiling sweetly.

I groan loudly as we walk back to her apartment, but it's more for show. Our relationship is back to normal, and I'm no longer miffed about her indiscretion at the palace. I enjoyed cooking, it reminded me of when we were on the road. I decided that udon noodle soup would be best for Toph and the baby. I had seen how she had devoured a rack of ribs at brunch, and she needed something other than red meat in her diet. Weird to say, coming from a guy like me.

In the middle of cooking, Toph comes in the kitchen to keep me company.

"So, how are you doing Sokka?" She asks me.

"Huh? Oh, what do you mean?" I know where she is going with this, and I hope that I'm wrong.

"You know, leaving Zuko behind." _Sigh…there it is._

I stop cutting green onions suddenly, keeping my eyes on the cutting board. _Keep it together Sokka, you're fine_. I try to swallow, to loosen the tightness in my throat. "Uhh—I'm…I'm alright, I guess." It didn't sound very convincing.

"You know Sokka, it's okay to be honest."

I sink my head lower into my chest and close my eyes. I feel Toph to my side, rubbing my back. I look away so she doesn't see how consumed I am by grief. "Can we please just not talk about him? It hurts too much…"

 **Zuko**

Despite being busy non-stop, there wasn't a day in the weeks since Sokka left that I didn't think about him. I thought about what he was doing every day, whom he was with, if he thought about me, if he missed me…I was bordering on crazy obsessive girlfriend but I couldn't help it.

It's been challenging to not appear distraught over his absence. I've had to force myself to continue to do things we would usually do together, as if nothing had changed. As if his absence doesn't affect my my day to day routines.

I'm sure I have everyone fooled. But during the night—when I'm at my loneliest, I feel like a different person. I'm lonely, and my head is full of him.

Uncle, although he has yet to say anything, knows how much I'm struggling without Sokka.

Work has slowed down finally, for the most part, and I'm able to spend with Izumi more now than ever.

Izumi has been training with me every morning. When she comes home from her classes she loves to tell me about her day and then tries to help me with my work. There's not too much for her to do. She's only five. I try to teach her our nation's history, have her organize books in my office, and sometimes I will make her practice her reading by reciting documents to me. She's very eager to learn, and she doesn't get discouraged when something goes over her head.

I don't have anything particular scheduled for today. _I should probably catch up on something…but what?_ The lull in my work load has been great for allowing me to spend time with Izumi, but she is at class during the day and had bending lessons throughout the week. She isn't always around, and the only way to keep me from lingering on my loss is to stay busy.

I collapse in my chair in defeat. "Damn it…" I sigh to myself. I push my palms into my eyes and rub them.

A loud thud behind my chair catches my attention. I look over to find Emi, she has a large lifeless reptile clenched in her jaw. I can hear her purring as she sets the dead creature at my feet. I had left my windows open to let in a nice breeze. She must've been climbing the edging to find a way inside.

I wrinkle my nose at the dead lizard, it's bloody and disgusting. Emi, who has her eyes closed, is purring, smiling almost. Her long scaly tail slowly whips back in forth in satisfaction. She's grown significantly since Izumi adopted her. She's half the size of my desk. She could probably rest her head on my desk in a few more weeks.

"Emi—Go take it outside." I scold her, pointing out the window.

She tilts her head and stares at me blankly. This over grown cat thinks I can't hunt for myself. I don't think she does this to anyone else. It's insulting. I'm a damn good hunter. In that moment I know what I am going to do today.

I stand up and head out the office. "Emi, come." I command. Emi is at my heels. Dezrah turns into the hallway as I walk past him.

"Fire Lord? Where are you headed to?" He calls out.

"I'm going hunting with Emi."

"Should I call for some guards to follow—"

"NO. They'll scare off the game."

"Very well my Lord. Do be careful."

I grab a Komodo Rhino to travel up to the forest behind the palace walls, Emi running beside me. I had packed a bag with hunting necessities: knives, ropes, game sacks, a skin of water, and dried fruit and meat. It bounced uncomfortably, along with my bow, against my back. The hunting spot I had in mind was an hour away, and by the time I was dismounting I was aching and sore from the ride. I look over at Emi; she has he butt in the air, stretching her upper body, then shifting forward to stretch her legs. She's not even panting.

I hobble the Komodo Rhino to a low slung branch surrounded by crab grass to feed from. It's peaceful in these woods; a few song birds, rustling in trees of rodents dashing from branch to branch, the leaves and sticks crackling under foot. There's definitely game here.

I set up a few traps and camouflage them. Emi circles around them, careful not to set them off. I motion her to come with me as I climb over some fallen trees and head up toward the mountain.

I can hear some clucking not too far ahead. _Sounds like turkeys…maybe ostrich-quails?_ I carefully crawl over a rock and peer over. There were dozens of ostrich-quails clucking and pecking at the ground looking for fallen acorns. As silently as I can, I nock an arrow. A low growl sounds from Emi's chest. "Easy girl. Not yet…" I whisper to her. She flattens herself against the rock, ears back, pupils dilated, focused on the birds, impatiently stilling her twitching tail. I draw the arrow back, taking aim. "Emi, go." I whisper to her, and she springs forward.

My arrow thuds into its target, killing it instantly. Emi lunges at the flock, her talons flared out; reaching for the nearest bird. She lands one in her jaws and shakes it violently, snapping its neck. She reaches for multiples with her paws, scrambling as the birds run away, crying out in distress.

"Emi!" I call to her.

Emi sits, excitedly whipping her tail in the air. I squat beside Emi, taking out a burlap sack and stuffing my kill inside. Emi has feathers sticking out the sides of her mouth. "Drop it." She growls and her muzzle twitches. "Don't give me that. I said drop it." A huff of smoke leaves her nostrils and she drops the mangled bird. I stuff the birds in the sack, pulling the other two from under her heavy paws. She didn't bother lifting them or retracting her long sharp nails.

I toss the sack behind me, slinging it across my chest. I reach in my sack to find some jerky, and toss the rest to Emi after I've taken a bite. "Good job, girl." I say, stroking her head. Sokka would have loved this…

A thunderous roar sets the ground under my feet rumbling and cuts off my line of thought. "What was that?" I feel Emi's hair rise up under my hand. She's spooked too.

"Come on, let's go check it out." She's slinking low to the ground ahead of me.

The roar repeats itself again, and again, and again the quakes getting more violent each time. "We must be close." I say under my breath.

We're crawling up a steep hill when Emi suddenly freezes. "Emi, go." I nudge her. Her stance holds; one leg up, back perfectly straight, tail even, eyes fixated on something. I follow her line of sight and I'm frozen too by what I see.

 _It can't be_. I blink several times before trusting my eyes. It's Ran and Shaw, huddled in a very large cave, coiled around something. _What are they doing here?_

My foot loses grip and I slide, losing my balance. I step back to catch myself, a crack of a branch gives away my position. The dragons turn their attention on me and rise up, baring their teeth and bellowing their familiar growl.

I hold my hands in front of me, trying to show that I mean no harm. I slowly walk up the hill and peel off my weapons, maintaining eye contact. I kick them to the side, and go to my knees. Emi is still behind me, I can hear her hissing—she's threatened.

"Emi," I say calmly. "come here—slow."

I hear her stepping back, leaves being crush by her weight. "Emi. It's okay. They're old friends."

She slowly creeps up to my side, watching them, wearily. "Lay down." She does what she's told. I place my hand on top of her head, pushing it into the ground. Ran and Shaw's faces are a few feet away from mine. _Judging me again are you?_ I bow, showing my masters what I hope is the proper respect.

One of them is inches from me, and I slowly look up; the blue scaled dragon is no longer snarling at me. We stare at one another for a while, he's so beautiful. One of his whiskers, as soft as a feather, caressed my temple. A flash of what seemed like memories—no, premonitions—flood my mind. They're a blur and I can't decipher them.

I snap back to the present and see the dragons are again entwined in a tight coil.

With one last look back at us, the take flight, and I have to cover my eyes from the rush of air and debris. Emi sit ups, head cocked to the side, flexing her ears back and forth. "That was weird…Why were they here? What were they doing?" I mutter. I look over to where they had huddled themselves. There's a pile of dirt in the center of a shallow crater.

I walk over to the mysterious mound and brush the dirt off. I hiss and bring my hand back to my chest as if I had been burned. _I really have to be seeing things…That can't be what I think it is…_

I squat down to get a better look at the ivory shell. _It feels…Alive_. I place my hand on it again, gingerly this time, and the memory of a voice booms in my head. _**It is decided!**_ I can feel the warmth radiating off the egg, and I know I can't leave it here. The masters had given me the visions, and they had told me to take this egg, their egg…

"Let's head back…we still have enough time we can surprise Izumi at school."

 **Sokka**

"Oh Spirits! Ohhhh my Spirits! It's happening! This is really happening!" I'm _panicked_. Toph is in labor! I'm running around her apartment gathering her shit while she grits her teeth, trying to bear through the pain of a contraction. _I'm not ready for this!_ "Remember your breathing Toph!" I shout out to her, something I remember Katara mentioning about her own labor. She curses at me, telling me to shut up before she bashes my head into the floor.

Last night I paid a visit to Toph's school to see how she was doing. I walked in her office and saw her on the floor, her fingers buried deep into to stone—making it crack and collapse under her palm. I had to drag her back to her apartment so she could try to relax.

"Toph, we really should make our way to the hospital." I say, trying to lift her, the pain had been coming closer and closer. Even if I didn't know that much about babies, it seemed like a tale tell sign that the baby was on its way and soon.

"No! I'm not ready." She says through her gritted teeth. "AHHH!" She cries out.

"No Toph, we're going. Come on. We'll be cutting it close." I manage to get her off her couch and make my way out the door. "And besides, you don't want to have a baby in the middle of road, do you?"

On the way, every time Toph had a contraction, the ground would split open in front of her and the streets would start rolling like waves. Boulders were sent flying into the nearest building, metal slates would go flying—it was a nightmare. Dodging an obstacle course while carrying a pregnant woman and her supplies on my back made me hope that she decided to stop at one. I don't think the city would be able to survive if she decided have a couple more.

At the hospital I really wanted to leave the delivery room, but I couldn't. Toph had a death grip on my hand, and growled at me that if I left her she would do a number of unspeakable things to me.

"Sokka—this—th-this hurts. SO. MUCH." She says, tears pooling her eyes.

"Just as long as I don't have to see anything below the waist!" I joke with her, but all my humor earns me is a glare and a string of threats.

A bright and cheerful nurse comes into the delivery room. "Well good morning everyone! How are we feeling so far? Excited to have the baby?" She asks in a high pitched voice. My fingers crack as Toph tightens her grip. I look over to see her huffing and puffing through her contraction—her irritation is rising to the surface.

"We're—ahh—we're doing alright, I guess. Hahah—ahh, Toph, ease up" I say. She throws my hand away and I bring it up to my chest. My hand is throbbing, bright red in color, and I can't move my fingers. Thank goodness we were at a hospital already because I'm pretty sure Toph broke my hand.

"My name is Kai-lin, I will be assisting the doctor in delivering your baby! But first Miss Beifong, I need check you to see how far along you've come in your labor, okay?"

Kai-lin washed her hands thoroughly before turning her attention back to Toph. "Could you please spread your legs for me?" She asks, holding her hand up so Toph understand what she intends to do.

I put my hand up in protest. "Whoa wait a minute—she's in a lot of pain right now. You're just going to shove your hand up there?"

Kai-lin stares at me as if I have a horn growing from my forehead. She blinks and smiles sweetly. "Well Sir, it's a basic procedure. We use it to make sure the woman's body is ready for the baby to come out." Her voice turns dark. "Terrible things can happen if she pushes too early."

I remember Mai…and shift my eyes away, uncomfortable.

"Well, your water has broken! That's a good sign." Her voice us high and chipper again. "Now we just need to—Miss, I need you to open up for me." Kai-lin touches Toph's legs to motion her to let her in. Toph keeps her legs shut.

"No, get the fuck away from me!" Toph yells, kicking at the nurse. She turns to her side, grabbing her stomach. Toph grips my arm, shouting all sorts of colorful profanities. I stroke her head, whispering comforting things to her to relax; it takes a minute or two.

"Toph, I know you don't want to. You can beat me up all you want, but this is necessary." I tell her.

It must have been something in my voice because despite her breathing heavily, shaking, and sweating profusely, she lays on her back again and props herself for the nurse. Her grunts and grimaces tell me that it's as uncomfortable and painful as I imagined.

"Okay! Looks like you're ready to go. We can start pushing soon. I'll be right back with the doctor okay? Just a few minutes…" She smiles and leaves.

"Sokka…I'm really glad you're here with me." Toph says in almost a whisper. I turn my attention back to her, her gratitude is out of character. I wasn't expecting it.

"Oh—no problem. I'm actually surprised you wanted me to stay with you. Katara wanted nothing to do with me when she had Tenzin back at Zuko's place."

She laughs lightly. "Well, I'm sure she didn't want you to see her all exposed and stuff. I'm surprised you haven't fainted yet, like that one time we helped that lady give birth outside of Ba Sing Sae."

 _Oh Spirits, how could I forget? There was blood everywhere; I looked straight into a strange woman's vagina—which was something I wanted to forget._

"Ha, yeah…I wasn't expecting that. But, I think I have a better handle on things." I'm older anyway, and try to put on a good front even if it makes me want to squirm inside.

"So if I asked you to cut the cord, would you have enough stomach to do it?" She asks me with incredible seriousness.

"Uhh…Yeah—sure. Why not? I can do it." My voice cracks though, belying my attempted confidence.

"Good…because I think this baby is coming sooner than that nurse thinks."

"What?! Can't you like—hold it in or something?" I shout.

" _Sokka!_ " Toph yells back. I sprint to the door and call out for help; but no one's around. _Don't panic, don't panic._ I run over to Toph, who's pulling herself up into a squat, the birthing gown the hospital gave her not doing much but getting in her way.

"Shouldn't you lie on your back?" I ask.

"That creates more work—ahh! This makes it easier—fuck!" She says.

"Uh, what should I do then?"

"Just stay." She waves at me to grab her hand. I reach out to her and she weaves her fingers in with mine, grabbing my hand. She starts taking in deep breaths. "I'm going to push." She gasps as her contraction hits.

"Come on Toph, one…two…three…four…five…six…seven, almost there, eight…nine…ten! Ok rest." I tell her. I remember hearing Katara saying this whenever she helped Gran Gran deliver babies back home. Toph lets out the rest of her breath and leans on me to take some weight off her legs.

"Sokka, I need you to check how far the baby has come. I think one or two more pushes and the kid is out."

"You need me to do what?!"

"Sokkkkkaaaaa!"

 _Ah fuck…_ I sigh in obligation. "Are you sure? I mean, the nurse said she'd be right back and I—"

"Just _DO IT_!"

I lean back from her yelling—any closer and I'm sure she would've torn my head off. I gulp and lean over towards her front. _Oh Spirits help me_. I shift to get a better look since her belly was in the way— _Oh my God!_

I look up at Toph, "Uhh—Toph…" I say.

"What? What is it? Ahh!" Toph inhales sharply, slowly blowing out.

"Oh G—okay, one…two…three…four…fiiiive oh God you're crowning, seven…eight, go, go, go, annnnd—"

I grab the baby and Toph collapses on her back. The baby lets out a high pitched cry and begins coughing. I lightly tap its back and it goes back to crying. "What do I do now? I have no idea what I'm doing." I say in a panicked tone. If anytime was a good time for me to panic, was now.

"Wrap….it in…a blanket…you idiot…" Toph says each time she inhales. _A blanket! Right!_ I look around to see if there's a blanket nearby—the umbilical cord was still attached, so I only had some much distance. One of the sheets has slipped from the bed, and is resting not too far from me on the ground. _Perfect_. I reach my leg over to it and drag it in with my foot. I cradle the newborn in one arm and in my chest, while I reach down for sheet; shaking it off in case anything had gotten on it.

I use the bed to help me wrap her tightly. Picking her back up, I rock her back and forth, swaying myself back and forth slowly. "Shh shh shh, there we go. You're the pretties little girl ever, yes you are." I whisper.

"It's a girl?" Toph says exhausted.

"Mhmm, she looks just like you Toph. Should we name her Toph Jr.?" Toph looks annoyed by my joke.

"If you didn't have the baby right now, I would smack you."

Just then, Kai-lin walks in with the doctor. "Okay let's see how far—oh my! When did this happen?!" The doctor calls out.

"Just now." I tell him. Kai-lin rushes over to grab the baby from me while the doctor checks Toph's…ahem, well he checks her to make sure she's okay. I take the opportunity to wash my hands, they were covered in blood and other things I didn't want to think about; I can't believe I just delivered a baby.

Kai-lin suggests I go home and grab a few things for myself if I'll be staying overnight with Toph.

The other Councilmen are waiting for me, along with Aang, Katara, and the kids.

"Is everything alright? How's Toph doing?" Katara asks.

"Everything's fine. She's resting right now. She had a girl." I tell her.

"Oh thank goodness. When your colleagues said they couldn't find either of you, I had a feeling you'd be here with her. How'd the delivery go?"

I laugh. "Ha. Well, about that—Little Beifong was so eager to meet her mom, she came falling out into my arms."

Katara and Aang gawk. "You did _delivered_ the baby _?!_ " She says. I rub the back of my neck and nod.

"Well…good job!" Aang says, smacking my arm.

"If you guys don't mind, I'm going home to grab some things. I'll be staying with Toph tonight, make sure she's not alone."

"We can stay with her tonight. You go get some rest. You look pretty tired." Aang says.

I argue with them a bit, telling them I was perfectly capable with watching over her. Being the one to deliver her had given me a sense of responsibility over the newborn, and I wanted to make sure she was doing well. Katara was persistent though, and I knew that Katara was probably better equipped to give Toph postpartum advice. I agreed, but only after they agreed to let me stay with Toph the next day.

Leaving the hospital, I hear someone callout. I turn to see Nahime running after me. _Oh boy, here we go_. "Hey Nahime, can I help you with something? I'm about to head home so I don't have much time."

"Actually, I was going to walk you home." She says with a blush, tucking her hair behind her ear. In this moment I see her for the first time, really see her. Her light green eyes complimented her skin; which is lighter than mine by a shade. She kept her jet black hair short, just above her shoulders, and it framed her face attractively.

"Uhh—thanks but you really don't have t—"

"Oh nonsense! You've been up for so long, let me walk you home, I can even make you something to eat. I'm a pretty good cook." She tucks her arm into mine and pulls so we are walking back toward my apartment. Alarms are going off in my head. Toph said not to be alone with her, and I didn't want to be. I just wasn't sure how to say that to her without being rude. We still had to work together.

On the way to my apartment, she talks my ear off. Apparently there was a lot of drama this morning when we went missing. I tried to think of an excuse to get rid of her, but before I knew it I was unlocking the door and letting us in.

It was an utter disaster. There was food scattered all over the floor from the living space to the kitchen, which is where I found Tuttut and Ducky snacking away on toppled produce.

"Oh you guys! What is thiiiiis?" I whine. The turtleducks waddle as fast as their little legs will take them. They know they are in trouble. I groan and drag my feet up to the crisscrossed trail of bread crumbs and half eaten vegetables. Nahime, unsolicited, starts picking up the kitchen.

Instead of wasting the food, I placed it in a big bowl out on the balcony. It would be their food for the next few days. That still left me out on groceries, and my stomach growled at me angrily.

"Thanks for helping me clean up Nahime, but I need to run down to the market and grab some more food for myself." That was a good excuse to get rid of her, she couldn't just wait around her awkwardly for me to get back.

"Oh! I'd be happy to do it. In fact, I can whip you something to eat as well." She says with a smile. Her teeth are perfectly straight and white. I try to keep my face from falling.

"No no, it's fine. Really." I try to convince her to go home, but she's out the door before I can get a word out.

I mop up the floor quickly and go take a shower. _Ugh I need a nap._ I cut my shower short after rinsing off the suds, it wasn't as relaxing as normal. Maybe I was just afraid of her coming back and me being naked. I rub my hair dry and once over my body. Not to mention I was dead tired. I really had been up for a long time, and it was hitting me life a rock wall.

I put on some shorts and I'm asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow. I'll wake up when I hear her open the door anyway, it's not a big deal.

I remember dreaming about Zuko and Izumi playing together in a grassy field on Ember Island. Izumi had learned to walk and Zuko had been chasing her. I was watching them in delight, seeing how Zuko was coming back from his deep depression. But, there was something different about this memory. Zuko had reached out and touched my face. As welcoming as it felt, this was…different. He began to touch me, despite Izumi being an infant, he wouldn't act that way in front of her. Zuko caressing and kissing me is starting to feel almost too real. I shoot up from my bed in a panic, looking around to find Nahime at my bedside.

"I'm sorry, did you have a bad dream?" She asks innocently. I pull my throw cover over myself—I had forgotten to put on a shirt. I was upset that I hadn't woke up to the door opening, my warrior intuition was getting lax. Not good. I made a mental note to pencil in training on my already packed schedule.

"Uh, kinda. What are you doing in here?" I try not to sound irritated, and if I did she ignored my tone.

"I made you something to eat, and I came in here to let you know. You didn't answer, so I poked my head in to call out to you. I saw you tossing and turning in your sleep, so I came over to try and wake you. It didn't work at first, you're a heavy sleeper Councilman Sokka."

 _Hmmm…_ it sounded plausible I guess, but there was something off about her story, and what Toph said about half-truths comes to mind. There's nothing I can do about it right now though, so I shoo her out of my room. "I'll be there in a minute."

She looks me over once before leaving, a cheery smile plastered on her face…one that didn't reach her eyes. _What the hell was that about?_


End file.
